Clash of the Deceit and Populace
by Ansleyrocks
Summary: While in TC one day Logan learns a secret about Max and Alec and he finally learns why Alec and the others brush him off and just when the people of TC thought they won someone new comes to town. MA all the way.
1. prolog

Title: Clash of the Deceit and Populace

Author: Ansleyrocks

Rating:

Pairing: Max/Alec

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel sadly if I did there is a few moments from the show I would redo.

Added note: I am not a fan of Logan sorry folks so there will be minor Logan bashing. I will make Logan out to be the jealous lover who is a little clueless and cannot take a hint. Also I like White so he will be in here a great deal as well as some familiars that I have created. Oh and Biggs is alive!

Added note 2: this takes place after Freak Nation

Summary: While in TC one day Logan learns a secret about Max and Alec and he finally learns why Alec and the others brush him off: M/A all the way.

Prolog

Terminal city was bustling with life as usual X series and trans humans alike were scurrying about, several of the computer wiz kids were sitting in front of rows of monitors cracking codes and what not. Logan smiled and breathed the toxic air in deeply, he was glad that after all of those blood transfusions he could survive in this city.

"We have a problem." A little boy of about eight says suddenly everyone stops. Logan sees a matrix of green numbers flashing across the screen and he knows it is a virus and instantly rushes over to go and help, after all he is the best one there with computers. Before he could touch a key he was rammed aside, startled Logan looked to see who rammed him only to see a young teenage girl about sixteen years old with long strawberry blonde hair, porcelain skin, and gray steel eyes so cold it sent shivers down his spine. She flipped her hair at him and took control of the computer. Logan saw a blonde boy sit on her right he had tan skin and blue eyes and was now working the right computer, he was about the same age as the girl and had a cold look about him as well.

He could not help the fear that was settling in his stomach that only increased when another teen sat down on the girls left. This boy had dark brown almost black hair and olive skin with chocolate eyes that did not hold any more warmth then the others. Logan was startled when he saw Mole standing next to him.

"Man those guys are spooky, if I had not talked with them I would have run away screaming a long time ago. Those techs sure are cold when it comes to their work, but damn they are brilliant when it comes to this computer stuff. It makes Max and Alec look inferior." Mole says. Max and Alec suddenly come out of Max's office and over to where a small group stood.

"How is it coming Mole?" Max asks handing a rather large file to a blonde girl who rushed over to the computers and sat next to the blonde boy, her previously warm honey eyes now frosty with a glare that would make a grown man crap ice.

"Red almost has it cracked." Mole says when the girl suddenly bolts up from her seat and looks toward a row of TV monitors on the second level. She leaps into the air landing on the second level right next to the TV's where she pulled a cord out of the back and then jumped the level back to where she was. Logan stood there with his mouth open, he knew they all could do that even Mole but to see someone do it when they were not fighting was more then a little unsettling.

"Done." The blonde boy says hitting the enter key and the computer made a beep noise.

"Done." The boy on the left says hitting the same key.

"Done." The blonde girl says. Everyone in TC watched the strawberry blonde whose hands were moving in a blur over the keys. She was moving so fast that the computer could barley keep up with her typing. Suddenly the green matrix of numbers turned into a pattern and slowed down before blinking twice and disappearing.

"Mission complete." The strawberry blonde says pushing away from the computer. Everyone was clapping for the four teens that were all smiling broadly, the warmth back in their eyes.

"Great job red." Mole says and Max hugs the girl and then the other three. Alec surprisingly did the same, but he twirled the girls around.

"I love having people around who can work on computers. Cherish I am so glad you and your unit decided to come here. Since you showed up the other technical units are almost all here, thanks." Max says making the girl smile even more.

"Glad to help, the code was a piece of cake. When I was sent to Kazakhstan now that code they had was challenging." Cherish says and a bunch of teens around the computers nod in agreement.

"Still it would have taken an ordinary hours to crack and get rid of, but you all accomplished it in less then ten minutes." Alec says making Logan frown.

"Hey well us ordinary's don't have those fast genes in us." Logan says glaring at the blonde.

"Oh hi Logan." Max says sounding less then thrilled to see the cyber journalist, not that Logan noticed.

"Well now that the trouble is over want to go and get something to eat Max?" Logan asks with a smile.

"Ah sorry I can't Logan, Alec and I have to make a run." Max says grabbing Alec's hand and pulling him out of the command center. All Logan could do was stare shocked.

"What just happened?" Logan asks not really expecting an answer.

"Well I was hoping he was at least intelligent enough to realize when he was being blown off." Cherish says to the blonde girl in a loud whisper making the blonde girl laugh.

"Max did not blow me off." Logan says glaring at the two giggling girls.

"Yes she did." The blonde girl says as her and Cherish swaggered away followed by the two guys.

"Do you think the norm knows?" Cherish asks her blonde friend as her and a few members of her unit sat around a table in the mess hall of the city. It was the four from the command center and two more males.

"No." The blonde girl says right away.

"Dizzy he has to have some clue." The blonde boy says. Dizzy got her name because once she was on the outside most norms gave her the dumb blonde stereotype so to make fun of the name they call her Dizzy witch is a bit nicer then ditz.

"No Slade he is completely oblivious." Dizzy says to the blonde boy known as Slade. The other teen from command was Rex. The two other guys are two of the alpha males of the techs JB who was the commander of their unit with Cherish as his second. JB was tall and muscular but not like the transgenic built for the front line he was more along the lines of what a male model would have looked like pre pulse. He had dark smoldering eyes, tan skin, and brown hair. The other guy was Chic because he was smart and a snappy dresser. He had dirty blonde hair and green eyes that popped because of his pale complexion.

"He is hopeless." Rex says flinging a piece of paper at Dizzy.

"But do you think he knows about them at Manticore at least?" Cherish asks and JB shakes his head no.

"Wow, so when Alec goes all territorial the norm thinks he is just being a jerk?" Cherish asks, if her blue spheres popped out any more they would burst from her head.

"It took Max awhile to figure out what he was doing, it takes all of us awhile to figure out when our mates are being possessive and not just jerks." Dizzy says and Cherish nods her head.

"Wait why does it take you long?" Rex asks looking confused lifting his head up from the gray table.

"None of you truly get possessive unless someone is threatening your mate or your relationship with your mate. That is when the animal comes into play." Dizzy says and the four guys nod in agreement. A tall guy about twenty years old with auburn hair, bronze skin and green eyes comes in; he radiated power.

"He Greg over here!" JB says knowing that the other guy could hear him across the room.

"So what you up to?" Rex asks with a knowing smirk. The alpha male just glared before making Slade move over so he could sit next to his mate Cherish.

"I had to get away from CC I mean that norm just will not leave us alone. When Max gets back I am going to have her get rid of him, none of us can do our jobs with him there." Greg says and the others all nod in agreement.

"I hope Max tells Logan soon, better to hear from her then someone else." Slade says again they all nod.


	2. Breeding Partners

Part 1 Breeding partners 

"So running away from lover boy are we?" Alec asks from atop the space needle the two of them just looking at the night sky.

"I am afraid to tell him Alec, I don't want him to come after you." Max says putting her head on Alec's shoulder, she snuggled closer to him and he put his arm around her.

"Hey if he does I can take him." Alec says with a smirk.

"I know but I am afraid he will say something bad, I already know he would not understand the breeding program which is why I never told him, but this he would never get." Max says and Alec nods in understanding. The two X5's just sat there in silence for a while. Then Max's pager went off.

"It is Mole." Max says as Alec hands her his cell phone. Sure Max might ignore a page or two from Logan but everyone else knew that she would never miss one from Mole, Joshua, Gem, or Alec.

"Hey Mole what's up?" Max asks.

_"Logan is reaming his ugly little ordinary head again and this time he pissed off the techs enough that none of them are here right now to fix the royal mess that Logan has created. He froze up half the systems trying to break a code that Cherish and Greg were working on." Mole says._

"Crap can he just stop touching the computers for once? Alec and I will be right there and we will kindly tell Logan to keep his hands off of the computers we cannot afford to have him mess our stuff up." Max says hanging up.

"What did roller boy do this time?" Alec asks as the two climb down the stairs that seemed to go on forever.

"He froze half the systems. Alec we have to tell him tonight I cannot stand this anymore." Max says making Alec grin.

"I am for it." Alec says as the two get on the back of Max's bike. Soon the two blew through the TC gates and road into the parking garage near CC. The two get off the bike and storm into CC many looking at them with smirks and smiles knowing Max was going to yell. There at the computers was Logan hunting and pecking away, not seeing the death glares Cherish was sending him as Mole, JB, Rex, Slade, Dalton, Josh, Biggs, and Chic all held her back from killing the norm. Mole was literally sitting on the girl while the others held down her arms legs and head.

"Let her up." Alec says laughing. The males jumped off the fiery girl only to see her swing her legs in an arc as she flipped into a standing position.

"Get away from my computer!" Cherish yells grabbing Logan's chair and hurling him away. She screamed at what she saw on the computer.

"I have been working on this for a week and now it is all gone and in an even bigger mess." Cherish screams before plopping on the ground to do push ups to relieve her anger.

"Oh she is mad." Alec says smirking as the teen pushed up and down at a steady pace.

"Hey let me get back to work so I can correct the screw ups all of you made." Logan says. Cherish pushes hard off the ground, hard enough that she was standing again and never once used her legs to pull her self up it was all in her arms.

"Now listen here norm I have years of training on you, this was my job at Manticore I was one of the best. When the White House had a problem with enemies infiltrating their computers I was the one who eradicated that problem and sent a nasty virus back at them. I was born to use computers." Cherish says. Logan gets all huffy.

"Fine then I will be in the mess hall, come apologize to me when you are ready." Logan says not seeing Alec and the others holding the girl back.

"Let me at him come on I want to snap each one of his figures and then slowly break all of his joints and then crack his other bones, but still keep him alive and conscious. I want to torture him and not drawl a single drop of blood." Cherish says making many of the X series and nomilies alike shudder knowing she could do it, after all her specialties are data retrieval and analysis, as well as code cracking and hacking. She is not an assassin and knows how to make her prey suffer.

"Take her to the gym have her beat a few bags." Max says and her unit members nod dragging the kicking and screaming logistic. Alec watches with amusement turned into a grimace as the fierce girl head butted Biggs.

"Well I think we should wait until Logan calms down some before we rush in and go all hey Loggie we have big news on the guy." Alec says and Max nods in agreement.

"How does the damage look Dix?" Max asks and the half bald guy shakes his head.

"Cale did a number but Cherish will be able to fix it when she calms down." Dix says with a small smile.

"I am so sorry he did that." Max says.

"It is alright boss he is not your responsibility so much anymore." Mole says as Alec puts an arm around Max and leads her off toward the mess hall to get a late night snack.

Just outside TC

"These people were morons if they thought they were out of danger, the danger has just begun. None of them are safe they are all abominations to the human race every transgenic and familiar. I promise that one day soon they will all know what true fear is." A man says as he folds up his chair and puts his high tech binoculars in his steel briefcase. Very soon the population of TC would know that they had a new enemy and soon not even the familiars will be able to help them.

Later that night in TC

"Alec I am so excited I cannot wait." Max says smiling widely as she lay on the hospital bed. An X5 named Fickle walked in smiling at the two soldiers.

"Well lets get started." Fickle says as he fiddles with the large instrument next to Max. Max bit her lip out of nerves making Alec laugh. Fickle lifted Max's shirt up to just below her chest and smeared a jell on her and ran his instrument over her, a loud thump, thump filled the quiet hospital room in seconds.

"Very good." Fickle says moving to the side and pulling the instrument up next to Max and Alec.

"There is your baby Max, Alec." Fickle says as the steady beat of the baby's heart continued in the background.

**Added Note:**

**Thanks to all who R/R!**


	3. Cats Out of the Bag

Part 2 Cat is Out of the Bag 

Alec and Max stared at the ultrasound monitor in awe, that was there baby and darn he or she was perfect if they did say so themselves. Even if Max was only three months it was still amazing to them. When Max broke things off with Logan telling him that she was with Alec, Max went into heat three days later with Alec in the same room. Now they had a baby to show for it. Sure Max had held Logan's hand on the day when the siege on Jam Pony happened but it felt funny to Max and she felt sick when she did. It was only when she was next to Alec again later that night that she felt even remotely better and that was when her animal instincts let her know, she was pregnant with Alec's baby. The funny part was that she did not care in fact she was happy about it.

Not many around TC knew, well that is a lie everyone knew that the two were now together well that is except Logan. Max had never officially gotten back together with the man. The cat was let out of the bag when Joshua started sniffing Max in CC and suddenly howled.

"Got Alec smell, extra cat, male cat, Max and Alec got busy." Joshua had said and then everyone knew. Mole's cigar fell out of his mouth but he did not care. Everyone started laughing and cheering many yelling about time.

"I knew the two of you wanted to screw each other." Mole said surprising everyone including himself when he gave Max a hug. Then Joshua sniffed again and howled once more.

"Baby!" Joshua had said smiling and pointing at Max's stomach. Alec looked startled and oddly enough started sniffing Max much to her amusement he looked like a kid on Christmas when he was done.

"I have good swimmers." Alec said and from then on everyone knew that not only were their two leaders together but a little X5 was on the way.

Shortly after Max's scan the two of them made their way back to the command center Alec never removing his arm from around Max. As the two walked the old and cracked streets of the poisonous city they talked with all the people they knew. Out of nowhere two arms wrapped around Max's legs startling her, she looked down into the eyes of someone she had not seen in a while.

"Bugler!" Max says hugging the X6 as the others walked up behind him.

"So what is this we hear about the hard as nails Max having the cockeye Alec's baby?" Fixit asks with a smirk Ralph, Bullet, and Zero all standing behind her.

"Well she no longer could resist my charm and jumped me in my office." Alec says receiving a pinch from Max.

"I thought the two of you were breeding partners." Zero says Alec and Max sharply look up with startled looks.

"How did you know that?" Alec asks.

"I was signed up for the breeding program as well, but the place blew up before they officially paired me up with someone. Thanks for getting me out of that!" Zero says making his friends laugh.

"Hey no problem I know how you feel I mean it was creepy and twisted." Max says, Alec and Zero nod their heads yes. Max grabs Bugler's hand and leads him and the others to the head quarters where Cherish and her complete unit were correcting Logan's mistakes. Zero suddenly stopped and stared long and hard at Cherish.

"What is it man?" Bullet asks.

"I know her, we were sent on a mission together, 983 is her designation." Zero says a look of fear barely hidden behind his eyes.

"So?" Ralph asks.

"She took a bullet to the chest, she died." Zero says. Max and Alec just stared at him in utter shock.

"She looks alive to me." Bugler says. Bugler goes over to Cherish and taps her on the shoulder, Cherish turned to look at him her blonde eyebrow arched in question.

"Did you take a bullet to the chest?" Bugler asks. Cherish smiles at the eight year old that grinned back.

"Yes I did, but the good old psychos at Manticore were able to revive me and get the bullet out. I had to spend a year on the bench because of it." Cherish says. Zero cautiously walks over to the girl who was a year younger then him.

"They did not tell me you survived." Zero says with a shaky voice. Cherish smiled at him.

"They were never really good about giving out information unless it was absolutely needed. Besides we were in different parts of Manticore I only really saw all of you during sparing and missions. Other then that I spent all of my time with the techs and Psy Opps." Cherish says.

"I am sorry about you getting shot I should have done something more to stop it…" Zero was cut off when Cherish raised her hand shushing him.

"Hey it was my fault not yours you were not responsible for whether or not I got shot, I have training as well." Cherish says making Zero smirk.

"Hey is that the surly X6 you told us about?" a transgenic female form Cherish's unit asks. Her name was Lana and had long curly black hair, pale as milk skin, and aqua eyes.

"Yes the one and only." Cherish says putting her arm around Zero making Ralph and Fixit glare.

"So what do you go by now?" Zero asks.

"Cherish, you?" Cherish asks.

"Zero." He says. Greg comes in and sees his mates arm around another guy and sees red. Max taps Cherish pointing to Greg, Cherish lets go of Zero and walks over to Greg and gives him a big hug. Mole stops dead in his tracks when he sees the fiery strawberry blonde looking so sweet. Cherish pulls Greg's hand and leads him over to Zero.

"Greg this is Zero he is the X6 that I was on the mission with when I was shot, if it had not been for his quick thinking the enemy would have gotten a hold of me, dead or not." Cherish says and Greg loosens up slightly but he kept a leery eye on the X6. He really did not have much to worry about because aside, form Gem and Dalton different series don't mix.

"Nice to meet you." Greg says, Zero shrinking back slightly under the older males glare.

"Back away a little Zero." Alec says pulling the teen away a little from the glaring transgenic.

"Who is he?" Fixit asks. "Who are you?" She asks Greg.

"Cherish's mate." Greg says the other girl's eyes went wide with surprise. For a Manticore solider she sure did have a hard time hiding her emotions, which was a dangerous thing. Even if she was around friends it is never good to show shock or surprise it is a weakness.

"Wow she is younger then us." Ralph says receiving an amused look from the two techs.

"Like that matters." They said simultaneously before they went back to what they were doing.

Over in the Terminal City mess hall Logan was less then happy, he was brooding. Max was off some where with the blonde playboy and he was stuck there waiting for her to come and get him so they could go back to his place away from the depressing city and have a nice pasta dinner.

"Can you believe it?" A male asks from a few tables away from Logan, he was sitting there with his two buddies.

"What?" One of the other males asks sounding excited.

"Max and Alec just got done with the doctors appointment." The male says. The assembled group now had Logan's full attention. He wanted to know why Max was at the doctors, why Alec was with her, and more importantly why had she not told him that she was sick?

"Oh how is she?" one of the other males asks sounding if possible even more excited.

"Well let's just say she would make Renfro proud to know that her pairing Alec and Max up as breeding partners was a smart idea." The male says. Logan's brown eyes hidden behind his glasses widened in shock. Max, his Max was breeding partners with Alec.

"We all knew the two were a great match I mean not only are they our leaders but they are the best of the best at Manticore." The third male says speaking up for the first time.

"According to the doc Max is doing great." The gossiping male says.

"Wow I bet Alec is happy. How far along is his girl now?" the second male asks. Logan's eyes widened again, Alec had gotten some random girl knocked up oh he could not wait to tell Max this juicy piece of information. She would stop hanging out with the good for nothing-blonde scoundrel and would then spend all of her time with him.

"Max is about three and a half months now." The one male says and Logan stopped grinning.

"Wow 452 I mean Max sure have won the heart of our boy, and he hers." The third male says. Logan suddenly stood up catching the attention of the three males, Logan ran out of the mess hall.

"Oh no I did not know he was there." One of the males says.

"Looks like the cat is out of the bag." The other one says letting out a loud sigh.

**A/N Thanks to all of those who reviwed I loved reading what all you had to say! I am glad you all like where this is going please let me know what you thought of this last part!**


	4. Tramps and Traps

Part 3 Tramps and Traps

Max and Alec were in the command center of Terminal city, in a meeting to be exact. Mole and Dix were going over what supplies the city needed and what not. The two leaders of the city were sitting next to each other holding hands under the table so no one would see, but everyone in the conference room knew they were holding hands so why they were hiding it was a mystery.

"How could you!" Logan yells barging into the conference room his chest heaving as he took in deep breaths because he just ran there from the mess hall and he was angry. The room full of X series and anomalies just stared at him. Cherish looked at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head.

"What are you talking about?" Mole asks.

"How could you not tell me that at Manticore you and Alec were breeding partners?" Logan asks marching towards Max his face red with anger. Max let go of Alec's hand reluctantly and pushed out her chair to stand up only to have Logan push her roughly back down.

"Hey!" Alec yells blurring towards Logan and pining him against one of the bleach white walls.

"Get your hands off me freak. You took my love away from me you bastard she was mine not yours." Logan says. Alec punched Logan in the face and in the gut letting the human fall to the ground in pain.

"First off Max was never yours the two of you never really dated. She was my breeding partner not yours, our DNA matches up perfectly yours is junk compared to mine. Second I am not a freak." Alec says. Max got up and put a comforting hand on Alec's arm clad in brown leather.

"You are a slut Max, a tramp. Did our relationship mean nothing to you? What about our future huh we were going to get married and move to the country away form all of this mess. We were going to have six kids, a dog and live in a huge mansion. I was going to home school the kids and do my cable hacks and you were going to take care of the kids and cook all the time." Logan says.

"I do not remember saying any of that Logan, I would never leave my family. We had no relationship Logan we cannot even touch. I am not a tramp and I am certainly not yours." Max says her voice rising each second. Cherish bolted upright and walked over to Max and Alec. Alec wrapped an arm around Max hoping to get her to calm down; getting worked up like she was could not be good for a baby.

"Don't call her a tramp or a slut! She was made to be with him not you." Cherish says.

"What?" Logan asks.

"452 and 494 carried two of the purest strains of DNA they were created to be together." Cherish says stunning the room. The silence was defining.

"What?" Alec asks his hazel eyes wide with surprise.

"I hacked into the Manticore data base once and I saw your records. Manticore was so hell bent on catching the 09'ers because they would lead to Max. They wanted Max all along because if the two of you were to breed it would create some perfect child. You two were created so that you could only breed with each other. Sorry I should have told you sooner." Cherish says looking down in shame, she had kept vital information form her leaders and that was punishable by death in their world.

"It is alright Cherish you were not purposely withholding information we do not blame you." Max says. No one saw Logan until it was too late, he ran at the teenage girl tackling her to the floor with a sickening crack. Greg was on his feet in a second ripping Logan off of Cherish who was unconscious on the floor. Alec felt her neck checking for a pulse and felt sick when there was none.

"No pulse begin CPR and get medical down here now!" Alec says and Max got on the floor to do mouth to mouth knowing Alec was not allowed because Cherish was mated. Mole and the others held back a distressed Greg who was not allowed to help because he was too emotional.

"Okay breathes." Alec says after five pumps, Max breathes into the other girl's mouth plugging her nose. Alec pushed on her chest again five times once every two seconds. Everyone held their breathe in the conference room every passing second felt like a lifetime as the teens life slipped farther away.

"Meds are here!" Biggs says as Fickle and three other felid medics come into the room.

"Get me three CC's of the usual move people." Fickle says taking the offered syringe and shooting it directly into the girl knowing she could handle the non-diluted solution.

"She has head trauma." Kenna a transgenic with wild black hair says.

"We don't move her until I can get a pulse." Fickle says.

"Bag her." The third medic says putting the mask and bag over Cherish's mouth. Fickle checked her neck and heart using a stethoscope.

"I have a heart beat and it is getting stronger but it is still weak we need to get her to the medical building." Fickle says as he and Kenna put the girl gingerly on the stretcher and take her away, Greg and Dix following close behind.

"Alec she was so pale." Max says furiously wiping her eyes not wanting to let the tears fall, she almost lost one of her friends and someone she considered family now. She was too young to die.

"I know, but Fickle and the others are great at what they do they will get her better quick." Alec says.

"What are we going to do with him?" Mole asks pointing to an unconscious and bloody Logan, thanks to Greg.

"Leave him out at the front gates." Max says with contempt. It was chilling to hear the emotion in her voice.

"No problem." Mole says grabbing the humans limp arm and dragging him out of the conference room like a rag doll being sure to hit as many things as possible, Mole could have easily carried Logan.

"She will be okay Max, she has to be." Alec says but he knew otherwise. Later that day Fickle announced that 983, Cherish had passed away due to a sudden stroke brought on by her severe head trauma from hitting the floor, all of TC was quiet. Shortly after Cherish was pronounced dead Greg was rushed to the medical wing, he died an hour later of sudden cardiac arrest, no one knew why.

It was a somber Terminal City that day they had just lost two of their best techs and family members. Late at night Kenna came out of the hospital crying and it was in front of every member of Terminal City that she gave them the worst news of the day.

"Approximately eight hours ago we lost one of our family followed by another. We will always remember Cherish and Greg they were great soldiers. It was upon the request of Cherish's unit that Fickle and I did an autopsy, Cherish was pregnant. We did not just lose two of our own but we lost their baby as well." Kenna says getting off of the box she was standing on. Everyone was silent, he really did it, Logan Cale was responsible for the three deaths and everyone wanted vengeance.

"I say we set up a little trap." Dizzy says her eyes dull and cold.

"Lets." Mole says.

**A/N: sorry for not posting for awhile I was in Italy for a school trip and I could not post. Thanks for all of the reviews I really love them. Now for this post I tried to fix as much of the grammer and spelling as I could I hope this is a little better. Please let me know what you think of this part!**


	5. Hello White

**A/N: **I am so sorry that is has been months since I updated this fic I had a major case of writers block but now I have the next few parts written out so all is well. I hope some of you are still reading this so please let me know what you think of this new part.

Part 4 Hello White

When Mole left Logan right outside the gates he was not expecting the norm to get picked up, by their enemy. Imagine Ames White's surprise when he was driving home from work past TC and there was 452's boyfriend passed out in front of the city. It was an opportunity too good to pass up so he pulled Logan into the back of his car and took off to the warehouse instead of home.

"Otto!" White yells dragging the ordinary. The young agent comes running out of his office with his shirt open and lipstick all over his face. White refrains from rolling his eyes at the young man.

"Sir is that 452's boyfriend?" Otto asks going to help his boss drag the unconscious man, not that White needed the help.

"The one and only Logan Cale better known as Eyes Only." White says making Otto stumble.

"Sir?" Otto asks looking shocked.

"I had a little talk with 452 awhile back and lets just say I put the pieces together." White says throwing Logan into a metal cage in the back room.

"Go get rid of your guest and get the others here I have a few calls to make." White says. Otto nods like and egger kid before running back into his office. A moment later a disgruntled blonde walks out of his office with her dress in her arms. She spots White and smiles, but White sneers at her and she quickly left.

"Sir the others are coming. Where did you find him and who did that to him?" Otto asks.

"I have no idea who beat the crap out of him I found him like that in front of freak central." White says, Logan groans stirring from his sleep.

"Max." Logan mutters.

"The freak is not here." White says and Logan's eyes snap open in alarm. He gingerly sat up looking at White in fear. White merely smirks at the human and rattles the cage.

"Welcome to my base of operations Cale I hope your stay here is unpleasant. Now if I remember correctly this is your first time visiting us unlike your little girlfriend and her sidekick." White says seeing the ordinary glare at him.

"She is not my girlfriend." Logan says with sadness.

"What she dumped you? What she trade you in for a better model?" White asks making Logan slam against the cage in front of him trying to grab the familiar by the jacket but White stood just a centimeter out of Logan's reach laughing at the ordinary's failed attempt to hurt him.

"Oh looks like I got it right in one guess now lets see who she traded you in for, how about 494?" White asks making Logan growl.

"Really well that does not surprise me, I read their files." White says to Otto who nods in understanding as a maroon haired body builder type girl comes into the warehouse.

"Hey brother I hear you caught someone." The girl says followed in by a muscular blonde.

"Well he is of no use now, he and 452 are no longer on good terms it appears. Look at the burses on his face Mandy, what do they look like." Ames says and the girl stepped forward and crouched down on the floor.

"Deep wounds approximately five inches wide by six inches long. The long gashes are from nails but they are males because they do not go as deep a females would be about a quarter inch deep and extend farther. The places he was hit show that the person did not want him unconscious so much as in pain. There are two different markings on him though other set is smaller meaning at least two people attacked him. The blow to the side of his face over here the small one is what most likely knocked him out." The female familiar says pointing to the wounds.

"So two people ganged up on him, wonder why." Ames says sarcastically startling the young man that works for him.

"These hits are primal, almost furious. Ames look at this." The female says pointing to Logan's neck. Ames grinned like a kid in a candy store.

"What did you do to piss them off?" Ames asks.

"Who?" Logan asks.

"The transgenic and anomalies that beat the pulp out of you?" Ames asks.

"What makes you think they did?" Logan asks.

"A transgenic hits a certain way, it is how they were trained these hits on your body are their signature and the bigger ones are that of the anomalies. Again what did you do that would make your supposed friends beat you and leave you out cold in front of their city for me to find you?" Ames asks. Logan turned away from White in defiance, that was not a smart move.

"Karl take a look in his head and tell me what you see." Ames said quietly so Otto would not hear him. Karl the muscular blonde stood to the side and dove into Logan's head making the cyber journalist scream in agony.

"He hurt one of them, a girl about 16 years old. Designation 983." Karl says.

"No he did not attack her, please tell me he did not attack her!" Ames yells and Karl nods. White's face went gray with terror, his hand started to shake and the blue vain above his left eyebrow popped out slightly from his creamy skin. White pulled out his cell phone and pushed three on his speed dial, someone picked up on the second ring.

"This is White a human attacked 983. Yes her, we needed her for the plan she was the only one with enough skills to get the job done. The freaks are still clueless but if I know our new player, we will not have to wait long for the freaks to be targeted as well." Ames says Logan was listening intently.

"No sir I have reason to believe 983 is permanently off the players list." Ames says making Karl and the other girl cringe.

"Why else would they beat him the way they did?" Ames asks before snapping his phone closed. Logan visible shrank back under the glare of the super human.

"I have orders to do with him as I please, I say we teach him a little lesson about what happens when he screws with someone more powerful then him. I say I drop him off in front of the freak central and let them deal with him." White spat and the other girl nods opening the cage, not expecting Logan to run out and tackle her to the ground. She quickly recovered head butting him making Logan roll off her, she straddled Logan, clamping her hands in front on her like she was holding a dagger making a huge fist as she brought her joined hands over her head bringing them down on Logan's head as if she was going to stab him, but she knocked him out. She smirked viciously when she felt her hands connect with the side of his head.

"I love doing that." The girl says not caring that blood was now trickling out of the side of Logan's head from the impact of the her hands.

"Lets move him." White says Otto just stood there with his mouth slightly open in horror. That was not normal, and the girl enjoyed causing pain just like his boss White, something was off with all of them and he was going to find out what.

The guy named Karl and White carried the unconscious human out to the special agents blue car and shoved him roughly into the backseat, not caring one bit that Logan's head was sticking out of the car slightly when they shut the door slamming it against his head with a grouse thud. Smirking, the girl got into the passengers seat and rode with Ames to Terminal City. "So Mandy what is this I hear about you possibly gaining a seat on the Conclave?" Ames asks making the girl smile.

"As a descendent of the Conclave breeding line I was destined to take a chair, but get this at the age of eighteen I will be the youngest to take up the seat of Athena." The girl says smiling. The seat of Athena went back to ancient Greece to the goddess of war and wisdom. The heir holds the seat they believe to best represent the ancient goddess and it looks like they found their perfect girl. Not many knew that the ancient Greek gods all at one point held seats in the Conclave.

"Very good with you on the Conclave blood will be spilt." Ames says laughing.

"Not necessarily." The girl says as the navy blue car pulls up to the gate ignoring the TV cameras a few feet away that had not yet spotted them. They pulled Logan out of the back seat and dropped him off roughly before driving away thankful that the cameras never saw them.

Meanwhile in Terminal City

Max was sitting in Alec's and her apartment on the edge of her bed; the two had separate rooms for some reason even though they usually slept in the same bed. The city was still quiet after the days horrors, Logan should not have been able to kill Cherish she was a trained solider not some off the street human. The techs were distraught and sick with their grief, they were all used to death and had lost others before but this was the outside world away from government missions, they were not supposed to die.

"Hey." Alec whispers coming into Max's room, he laid down on her bed next to her.

"How is Zero?" Max asks her mood would have fit well in a graveyard. She crawled over to Alec and laid her head on his chest, Alec tangled his hand in her long hair. The lights in the room suddenly going out in one of Seattle's frequent brown outs.

"He is upset, he just found out that the girl he thought was dead was really alive only to have her die for real that same day. It is understandable he is confused." Alec says rubbing Max's head, he knew that it helped ease her stress and calm her down.

"I saw Dizzy before I came home she was sitting on the sidewalk in a daze. I talked with her but she was only half listening, not that I can blame her. Her eyes had this glazed over look in them that I have only ever seen when a person has lost everything. Alec why did this happen? Why Cherish she did nothing?" Max asks trying not to cry, crying was a weakness. Even with the amount of time she has spent on the outside world she still lapsed into her old, emotions are a weakness, sepal when she is upset. Now that she was leading a bunch of soldiers it was even more important now that she kept up a strong front. Sighing Max pulled her red blanket up over her and a fully clothed Alec.

"I don't know Max, Logan caught her off guard and she hit her head in a way that well killed her. She was not expecting Logan of all people to attack her so she was easily knocked down." Alec whispered tightening his one arm around Max. As Max snuggled closer to her mate she was reminded of the night that she and Alec first became something of a couple.

Max had just gotten done talking with a jealous Logan who was bitter about the lie Max had told him about her and Alec now dating. Of course it was a lie but Logan did not know that. So there she was moping on top of her high place watching the people below run about with her enhanced eyesight. It worried her that she was not terribly upset about the pain Logan was in because of her supposed involvement with Alec.

"_Figured I would find you here." Alec says plopping down next to Max; she was unnerved that there was no smirk on his face. He looked good in the moonlight, his hazel eyes seemed to almost glow sending shivers down her spine._

"_I have been here for a while." Max says without her usual malice._

"_OC told me what happened with Logan and I am sorry he was such a, well brat to you." Alec says._

"_It is my fault I am the one who created all of this mess, sorry about what he said about you it was unfair of him. I should never have dragged you into my mess, I should have just dealt with it on my own." Max says again surprising Alec who had only heard her apologize one other time._

"_Hey I am over it and we both know that Logan would never let you have a moments rest if you did not bring me in because we both know that on some level he is afraid of me. I think that is why he is always so snide with me, he talks to me like I am a child." Alec says darkly._

"_Yeah well I do that as well. I think he treats you the way he does because he feels threatened by you he knows you are the superior man. He does not like that you know about a part of my life that he will never fully understand. Also, he thinks that just because I am all bitchy to you that he can speak down to you as well. Now he is snaky with you because you have in his mind what he wants and cannot have." Max says scooting closer to Alec who was thinking about what his brunette friend had said._

"_Well that all makes sense and most of it I knew but why would he fear me and you being together I mean you have shown no interest in me romantically ever." Alec says trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Max made a bold move and put a hand on Alec's shoulder._

"_Did you ever think that maybe I was afraid? I mean look at my past with getting close to people, they either die, run away, or loose their memory, I did not want to have to go through that again." Max says Alec nods his head slightly._

"_I know that feeling. How about this, what if we make a deal that we will both try and be more civil in your case and less of a jerk in mine." Alec says making Max smile._

"_Deal." She says putting her hands on both sides of Alec's face and kissing him on the lips briefly surprising him._

"_What ah what was that for?" Alec asks trying not to smile but Max knew better._

"_I just wanted to see what it was like." Max says with a very Alec like smirk._

"_So ah how was it?" Alec asks his cocky grin present but Max did not mind, she thought it was cute._

"_It was good but if you were not surprised I bet it would be mind blowing." Max says Alec's hazel eyes widen with shock before he smiled._

"_Well what do you say I try this time?" Alec asks before grabbing Max and kissing her passionately making her toes tingle. When the two broke away Max and Alec were flushed and smiling._

"_Like I said mind blowing." Max says standing up and extending a hand to Alec who took it._

"_So where are you going?" Alec asks dusting off his dark blue jeans and fixing the collar of his favorite black leather jacket._

"_I am heading to crash to meet OC and sketchy do you want to come with?" Max asks as she begins to climb down the stairs._

"_Sure." Alec says._

From that night on the two were friendly with each other they hung out with one another constantly finding that they really had a great deal in common and worked well together when they were not butting heads. Max was startled out of her thoughts by an insistent pounding on their apartment door. Her and Alec got up and answered the door it was Mole.

"You two need to see something our cameras picked up." Mole says and the two transgenic's went chasing after Mole. They were in the command center in a minute a crowd was standing around a TV monitor looking half scared half pleased.

"What is going on?" Max asks coming over to the group with Alec hot on her heels.

"Take a look at this." Mole says replaying the image of a bleeding Logan being dumped out of the back seat of a navy blue car.

"Who took him?" Joshua asks.

"White." Alec says pointing to the reflection in the side of the car that was just barely visible.

"Problem is it looks like he had company." Max says pointing to the image of half a girl.


	6. Meeting the Conclave

Part 5 Meeting the Conclave 

She watched the news with a grim face, so the freaks now knew what they were up against. Just a few hours ago six mutilated transgenic bodies were found in front of Terminal City with a burning sign next to them saying the acolytes where there to do gods will and purge the world of all abominations. Even she had to admit the sight the bodies made was horrific, and here she thought the mutilation of two familiars was bad, the transgenic bodies had been lynched. It made her sick to think someone could do something like that.

"Call a meeting, tell my brother it is urgent." The girl said. Slowly she got up and looked out her second story window at the gray Seattle sky, it was darker on the horizon. Sighing, she brushed a strand of her maroon hair out of her pale face.

"Mandy the others are here." Karl said as eleven men and women came in and sat on the thrones around the room and about twenty others followed them sitting at the opposite end of the room on pews while a man and woman took their place at the front of the room. Everyone looked stern and tense; they all knew the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

"What is the reason for this meeting?" Michael her brother asked, but he knew the reason.

"I feel it is time to tell the freaks what is really going on if we work together we may be able to beat this cult." Mandy said glaring at her brother. She loved her big brother but he was annoying as anything and constantly challenged what she did and said.

"Agreed." Brian the leader of the Conclave said. Brian sat on the throne of Zeus, I guess you could say familiars had this whole superiority complex thinking themselves gods and all but hey when you have super human abilities sometimes you cannot help but brag. That is what happened in the case of the Greek Gods they were familiars who thought it would be funny to have humans wait on them hand and foot. Since the time of the humans revolt against the Olympians the familiars have been laying low gaining strength, over the past century though they have started to make some noise.

"I suggest we do it quickly so as not to make them any more suspicious of us then they already are if we are to work together we have to trust each other on some level. I know most will not like this new idea but for our race to survive we need help and who better to go to then those who were created by our own?" Mandy asked and the man next to her nodded his head in agreement.

"I like it." He said running a hand through his military buzzed hair, he was after all a general in the United States Army.

"Agreed. All in favor say aye." Brian said his steel eyes scanning the room.

"Aye." Rang out throughout the room from every mouth. They all might hate the freaks but they were smart and knew that if they wanted to survive they were going to have to ask for help.

"It is unanimous. Mandy I am placing you and brother White in charge of this do not disappoint me." Brian said and Mandy nods her head, her brother scowling at her.

"This meeting is adjourned." Brian said and everyone got up, military dude came up behind Mandy suddenly, he pointed to a bag at her feet.

"Oh goody looks like I get to pack an overnight bag!" Mandy said in a sarcastically happy voice. Michael who had been standing beside her just laughed, he yanked on a piece of his sister's maroon hair and left.

Back in TC

It was horrible six transgenic's had been murdered; they were on their way to TC when they were attacked. Those from Manticore identified them, three of them were techs and the other three were Psy Opps. Max felt ill at the memory of their bodies, she went with Mole and the others to retrieve them so they could be buried. Everyone really knew how close this attack hit when a young X8 started to cry saying that the one tech pulled him from the burning Manticore. There was so much death surrounding the residents of Terminal City but they all knew they had to stick together if they were going to survive, they had to. Especially now with this new enemy.

"Little fella sad, Fickle say sad not good for little fella and mini fella." Joshua said gently patting Max on her lower stomach. Max tried to smile but she could not, she too knew someone from the group that was killed. It was one of the Psy. Opps that had been killed she knew him because he tried to recondition her, from what little she remembered of him he was a pretty decent guy who felt bad about having to use his screwed up ability on her. She felt violently ill when she saw his face when the others were bringing in his body, at Manticore she thought he had amazing eyes they were this deep piercing blue, and it made her sick to know that those blue eyes were dead.

"I suppose it is not good for us, but I cannot help but feel bad Joshua they were my responsibility I was supposed to protect them. How can I lead these people when I cannot even protect them?" Max asked.

"Not your fault, enemy fault they kill them, Max good leader everyone says so." Joshua said and Max gave him a small smile. Max leaned over and hugged her big dog friend who eagerly returned the hug.

"Hey where is my hug?" Alec asked from the doorway. Max and Joshua each opened an arm allowing the blonde X5 to run over to them eagerly, who knew cocky Alec liked hugs, that was one of the amazing things about him Max had the pleasure to find out.

Max and Alec had just arrived at Crash and went looking for their friends Sketchy and OC who were supposed to be around the place somewhere. The two X5's saw their two friends almost instantly over in a dark corner on the second level with a few other friends from their work. Alec smirked before grabbing Max by the hand and leading her up the stairs making her laugh at his egger expression.

"_Well look what the cat dragged in." Biggs said smiling knowing that there was a underlying pun to his words after all the three of them had a great deal of cat DNA in them._

"_Very funny Biggs." Max said sitting next to him after she gave OC a hug._

"_What no hitting?" Biggs asked pretending to faint in shock._

"_No that is reserved for her boy." OC said making Biggs's eyes go wide as he looked at Alec. Alec laughed and shook his head no._

"_No man, OC calls me Max's boy, hot boy, hot ass, delicious, you know the usual names." Alec said and Biggs relaxed slightly, a smile still on his face._

"_Dude the day Max and Alec get together like that is the day I become best friends with a transgenic." Sketchy said not noticing Max, Biggs, and Alec's smiles grow._

"_Something you two want to tell me?" Biggs asked in a whisper only loud enough that Max and Alec could hear. The two looked at each other and had to bite their tongues to prevent the gales of laughter from erupting._

"_Oh yes the two of us are screwing on a regular basis." Max said and for show she sat on Alec's lap, Sketchy spat out his beer spraying the table with the gold liquid. The three X5's just laughed at Sketchy._

"_So Biggs how do you know Alec, also how do you know Max I mean when you saw her on your first day you hugged her and on Alec's first day the two were at each others thoughts like they had known each other for years." Sketchy asked._

"_Oh Sketchy I thought we told you, we all grew up together." Alec said feeling Max tense up he rubbed her back a little._

"_Yeah Alec and I lived next door to each other and Max lived just down the street from us, her and Alec's brother were best friends." Biggs said. It was an interesting way of looking at things because it was sort of true. Alec's cell was next to Biggs's cell and Max's both times she was at Manticore was in the next hall and she was close to Ben, Alec's twin._

"_Yeah all of us went to school together, you remember Sam?" Max asked Sketchy who shook his head yes remembering Zack when he worked at Jam Pony. _

"_Sam lived next door to me as a kid he and Alec hated each other with a fiery passion and yet Sam's younger brother was best friends with Biggs and Alec." Max said._

"_Wow you all really grew up together?" Sketchy asked his eyes wide._

"_Yup we even knew Max's brothers and sister. Zane, Krit, and Jondy. Krit and her look like exact replicas of each other man." Alec said unconsciously making Max smile wide, she liked the fact that her and her blood siblings did actually look alike. It made her feel good knowing she had blood siblings._

"_You have siblings?" Sketchy asked._

"_Yes." Max said ducking her head so that no one would see the dopey smile on her face, but Alec did._

"_Oh yes as the baby of all of us Max was fiercely protected, even Biggs here got into a fight to protect her" Alec said, which was true. At Manticore people were giving Max a hard time at first but since she was the breeding partner of his best friend he was not going to stand around and let the others chew her out for something she did when she was a kid so naturally he beat the crap out of three males._

"_Yeah thanks for that by the way." Max said shocking Biggs yet again, he recovered quickly and smiled at her._

"_You three seriously grew up together?" Sketchy asked._

"_Yes, fool did you not hear a word they said, besides it is not hard to believe after all they are brats." OC said smirking._

"_What?" Sketchy asked, but the other three got where she was going with this._

"_Our parents were military, well still are in some cases." Alec said._

"_I am Alec McDowell son of Caption Jack McDowell, Biggs is Biggs Pierce son of Colonial Pierce." Alec said looking at Max letting her know she could say what she wanted._

"_I am Max Guevara really I am Max Lydecker daughter of Colonial Lydecker and General Guevara." Max said Biggs was the only one who looked surprised at her mentioning Lydecker. Max had told Alec once how Lydecker put his wife's DNA in her so in some twisted way Lydecker thought of her as his daughter._

"_Lydecker man what a hard ass." Alec said making Max laugh._

"_Oh this coming from the boy whose mother is the evil she bitch Renfro." Biggs said making Max laugh at Alec's horrified look._

"_Oh don't ever say that again." Alec said burying his head in Max's side._

"_Someone has parental issues." Max said making Alec groan._

"_Hey don't we all?" Biggs asked._

"_Of course we do. All of us from the base have parental issues." Max said. To Sketchy it sounded like the three of them just did not have good parents but the other four sitting there knew the double meaning to Max's words. All of them from Manticore had issues, issues with trust and acceptance._

"_But as long as I have all of my family, my large base full of people, I will be okay." Max said and the two X5 males knew she was talking about them and everyone else in TC. Alec hugged Max to him tightly; he was surprised when she hugged him back._

"_I like hugs." Alec whispered in Max's ear making her smile._

"_Me too." Max said._

"Feel better Alec?" Max asked her tone light.

"Yes." Alec said.

"Well I guess the three of us should head to head quarters I have a feeling Mole will be causing problems." Max said.

"Knowing Mole you are right." Joshua said as the three friends left Alec and Max's Terminal City apartment. The three walked out into the hall only to see an X6 girl standing there staring at a wall. She had to be a little older then Dalton eighteen or nineteen; she had long black hair and olive skin.

"Ah Hawk what are you doing?" Max asked moving loudly so as not to startle the girl, her years of training telling her that it was not smart to sneak up on the girl. Max moved so that she was within the girl's sight at all times and stood in front of her.

"This wall is not supposed to be here the planes say that this area of the wall does not exist and I am trying to figure out why before I go in there." Hawk said.

"Biggs lives there he would have told us if something was off with the place." Alec said ignoring the growl the young girl let out.

"He missed something and I know it, look at the groves on the wall they are the same as the rest meaning this wall was here when the rest of the building was built, but the question is why was it left out of the planes. My theory is that the room is hiding something, most likely an underground exit." Hawk said.

"She might be right it is worth checking out." Max said and Alec nodded in agreement.

"Max, Alec permission to put together a team to search the room? I would have Biggs on the team because hey it is his place." Hawk said giving the two leaders her most innocent I am the perfect little solider look.

"Lets run this by Biggs first, if he says okay then you have permission." Alec said and Max nodded her consent as well.

"He probably is in CC we were headed there right now so lets go." Max said grabbing the teen girl by the arm and dragging her away from the wall that had her transfixed. Max laughed at the teen that kept looking back at the wall. It did not take the four long to reach the heart of the toxic city, but when they did they were greeted with X series, transhumans and anomalies alike running around and Mole on the second level barking orders out, the usual cloud of smoke surrounding him.

"Hey Mole what is going on?" Max asked the lizard man, he smirked when he looked down and saw the four people standing there, the one looking a little antsy.

"Well three teams should be arriving back soon from their runs and we are trying to see that they are clear to enter the city and making sure to space them out and keep it timed out perfectly, the usual. I could really use your help." Mole said with a grumble making Max laugh, she pushed hard off the ground and went sailing through the air landing on the second level silently.

"So what is the first team coming in?" Max asked.

"Luna's team, they are scheduled to arrive in fifteen, they said everything went great and that they have two trucks of food, but the problem is we cannot have two trucks come in at once that will draw attention and if we stagger them the way we want the second truck of food will come in at the same time as the clothes with Jazz's team. We cannot push the other teams arrivals back because that posses a problem with the sector police." Mole said.

"What color is the second food truck?" Max asked Mole gave her a disbelieving look.

"Blue." Mole said thinking the X5 was starting to loose it.

"Where is Jazz's team coming in from?" Max asked pulling out a piece of scratch paper.

"Sector twelve." Mole said as Max sketched a map of all the sectors quickly labeling TC on the map.

"Okay where is every other team located?" Max asked and Mole pointed to sectors one, three, eleven, and fifteen.

"Okay now which one is Luna's team?" Max asked and Mole pointed to sector three. Max bit her lip as she thought for a moment before making more scribbles.

"Have Luna's team go first and then have all of the others go. Tell the other teems to keep a watch out because I am going to have the second food truck sit in the next sector over from us and the second the last team gets through our gates give the second food truck the okay it will be enough of a break that no one will get to suspicious." Max said.

"Wow I wonder why I never thought of that? Must have been a long day." Mole said realizing that he had made something so simple into something complex. Meanwhile Alec, Joshua, and the teen X6 Hawk were looking for Biggs. As Hawk passed a supply room closet she heard a grunt and looked at Joshua who looked confused. Hawk smirked as she broke the lock on the door and opened the closet door revealing a topless Biggs and some blonde X5.

"Found him." Hawk said laughing as Alec came up and saw the state his friend was in. Biggs pulled his shirt on in a blur as Alec and Hawk laughed at him while Joshua just grinned, he was not stupid he knew what the two X5's had been up to.

"Nice work Hawk, now I know why they call you that." Alec said referring to the teen's uncanny ability at finding things like a hawk looking for its prey.

"Yes very good but how did you know it was me?" Biggs asked as the blonde girl snuck away.

"Easy Alec said you were probably in TC, I knew you were not at home and besides Alec you are the only one dumb enough to suggest having sex in the closet of a packed head quarters full of beings with revved up hearing. I just put it all together." Hawk said and Alec looked shocked and Biggs looked mildly embarrassed.

"Why were you looking for me? Alec were you looking for me as well?" Biggs asked.

"Yes the both of us were looking for you for the same reason actually it seems that our team that has been assigned to check the plans of the city came across a wall that was not supposed to be there and it is your apartment actually. We were wondering if you would let Hawk here poke around?" Alec asked.

"I would need you there if you gave permission." Hawk said putting on the same innocent look she had used on Alec and Max before.

"Okay sure come on we can check it out now." Biggs said and Hawk nods heading off with Biggs.

"Is it just me Josh or was Biggs a little more embarrassed then usual about being caught in a compromising position?" Alec asked.

"Not just you, Biggs embarrassed big time." Joshua said.

**A/N: Thanks to those who replied, please review it keeps me writing and helps me improve!**


	7. Boxers or Briefs

A/N: Thanks so much for reviewing it keeps me writing! For all of you who are wondering if Logan will come back later in the fic...he will just wait he will come back!

Part 6 Boxers or Briefs

The X5 and X6 silently made their way over to Biggs apartment; he was still a little disgruntled about being caught even if he only had his shirt off.

"You okay you seem off?" Hawk asked startling Biggs.

"Are you always this perceptive?" Biggs asked sounding slightly miffed.

"Sorry." Hawk said.

"No I am sorry I am being mean here, but really how do you pickup on this stuff?" Biggs asked.

"It is what I am good at, I really don't know I guess it is just how I was created. I just know I was always used to look for the needle in the pile of corpses." Hawk said making Biggs laugh.

"I think the saying is needle in a hay stack." Biggs laughed.

"Oh good to know." Hawk looked away hiding her embarrassment as they reach the door to the apartment. Biggs lead the way inside cringing at the sight of his messy apartment, he had brought a girl to his messy apartment. Okay so she was not there for sex and he was sure she was not even remotely interested in him like that but still he was a transgenic, he was supposed to be neat and organized. Then there was the fact that she was really hot.

"Okay I want to start with this wall right here because it is the missing wall. I need you to start at the other end and tap and see if you hear any differences in the sound the wall makes. I am going to start at the opposite wall and see if I can find anything." Hawk said. After two hours the two were now searching Biggs's room looking for anything unusual. Hawk opens up the closet and laughs.

"So Biggs which do you prefer boxers or briefs?" Hawk grinned pulling out a man thong. Biggs who was looking in the other closet whipped around smacking right into the door of the closet.

"Oh." Hawk said laughing as the X5 shook his head to get rid of the pain.

"I swear they are not mine." Biggs stammered.

"Sure." Hawk said flinging the garment at Biggs; they fell on top of his head.

"I swear they are not mine, well they are but it is not like I will ever wear them. I go commando." Biggs smacked his forehead realizing he just gave away too much information. Hawk did not seem to care because she was back in the small closet.

"I knew it!" Hawk yelled from inside. Biggs walked in behind her to see her knocking on his back wall.

"What?" Biggs asked.

"This entire wall is hollow and guess what the wall connecting to it is the mystery wall. I think we should knock out this wall and see where it leads." Hawk babbled with a big smile looking excited.

"You want to destroy my closet?" Biggs spluttered.

"Please?" Hawk pouted, giving Biggs her best-kicked puppy look, he caved instantly.

"Okay." He said and she squealed before kicking the wall in the center creating a gaping hole. The two started kicking the wall furiously until it crumbled, a cloud of plaster surrounding the two.

"Okay now that is odd." Hawk said pointing to the stairs that appeared. Hawk grabbed Biggs's arm and led him down the stairs against his better judgment. The two walked down for about five minutes before emptying out into a tunnel.

"Hey Biggs I know where we are." Hawk grinned.

"We are in the sewers right out side the city." Biggs grunted wrinkling his nose at the foul smell. The two smile before blurring back up the stairs into Biggs's apartment. The two close his closet and then blur out of the apartment and over to the headquarters.

"She was right!" Biggs yelled startling everyone. Alec and Max jumped down to the ground level and went over to the two who were almost giddy with their find. Alec looked from his friend to the X6 and noticed Biggs was standing oddly close to her.

"Hey how about you tell Alec what we found and Max and I go plot it on the planes?" Hawk asked and Biggs nodded leading his friend over to a table on the other side of the room.

Fifteen minutes later Alec and Biggs were still talking but the topic went away from secret passageways and to more trivial things. "Wait let me get this straight you let her into your closet? You will not even allow me in there and then she found your thong and then you let out that you go commando?" Alec asked trying not to laugh.

"Man it was so embarrassing and she just stood there like she saw it all the time." Biggs put his head in his hands and let out a deep breath.

"Maybe she has." Alec said his eyes widening when Biggs growled.

"Dude you like her, she is X6 and you like her you are already getting possessive." Alec said looking utterly shocked.

"I know man I know, I have no idea why but it is like I have this feeling around her…" Biggs trailed off as Gem came over to the two males looking flustered.

"Hey guys have you seen Dalton?" Gem asked looking panicked as she rocked a crying Eve.

"Yes let me go get him." Biggs blurred away.

"What is wrong Gem?" Alec asked.

"I have not been able to get her to stop crying for two hours and she has gotten sick several times Dalton is so good at getting her to calm down, and I am too flustered for her to calm down." Gem babbled hysterically as Biggs and Dalton came over to the table.

"Hey Gem, oh Eve." Dalton cooed taking the screaming baby from a grateful Gem. Dalton started nuzzling and cooing to the baby and she almost instantly stopped crying.

"Oh thank you." Gem sighed.

"Wow." Alec whistled. Dalton was cuddling with the baby as he sat at the table with the three X5's.

"This is unusual." Biggs stared and Gem frowned at him silently asking why.

"What Biggs means is that most transgenic babies can sense who their parents are and only want to be comforted by them it is almost like Eve has acknowledged Dalton as her dad." Alec said making the teen look up startled.

"Me a dad?" Dalton asked looking shocked, but Gem seemed thoughtful.

"It might have something to do with Dalton having been there since she was born, he was the first male transgenic she encountered. Then he has been the only male who has constantly been there." Gem said.

"Yes but you have male unit members here so most likely one of them would have stepped up." Alec argued.

"It is almost as if they have backed off though sensing Dalton was it." Biggs pointed out, the teen boy just gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Dalton asked.

"It is like Gem's unit has acknowledged you as the father." Biggs said making Dalton's eyes go wide.

"Wow." Dalton whispered making Gem laugh.

"Sure she had a breeding partner but he was not her chosen mate if you will, so they were all okay with Dalton stepping in." Alec said.

"Yeah but what have I done I mean what have I done for Eve to think of me as her dad?" Dalton asked nuzzling the baby's head.

"Well that for one, it seems that on some unconscious level you have taken her as yours. You feed her, change her, hold her, comfort her, protect her, love her all like a dad." Biggs grinned at Dalton seeing that the kid was starting to get it.

"How long did the two of you know each other before we met up with you?" Alec asked.

"We met in the forest outside Manticore and stuck together after that." Gem said.

"So that would be months." Alec commented and Dalton nodded his head yes.

"Okay Gem, Dalton please do not take this in a bad way or the wrong way, but do you two like each other." Biggs asked hesitantly.

"Yes." The two blurted out simultaneously.

"Do the two of you have an interest in each other a physically?" Alec asked scratching the back of his head to relax his nerves slightly. Dalton's eyes went wide and Gem looked freaked.

"Well?" Biggs asked.

"She is hot." Dalton muttered making Alec smirk.

"We know this, but you know what I meant." Alec said. Dalton looked everywhere but at the three X5's in front of him.

"I thought so." Biggs laughed.

"What?" Gem asked.

"He wants your body bad Gem and from what I can tell you want him just as bad. Come on he is seventeen you're twenty two not that bad." Alec smirked.

"Okay enough." Dalton said glaring at the two alpha males in front of him. Alec smirked knowing that the kid himself was an alpha but he did not look it, he could probably give Biggs a run for his money if he really wanted. Alec was not stupid or blind he saw how the other X6's acted around him, they looked to him for guidance.

"Hey we were just pointing out the obvious." Biggs said as Max and Hawk made their way over to the table.

"Here lets ask an outside source. Hawk does Dalton have the hots for Gem?" Alec asked.

"Dude sometimes I think he wants to jump her in front of everyone and that she would let him." Hawk said Dalton just stared.

"I do not" Dalton said after a minute. "I am more discrete then that. Besides she is not exactly an outside source she is my second in command and the constant pain in my ass." Dalton said with a smile making Hawk laugh.

"As a member of your unit I have come to notice those things." Hawk sang.

"Why do you always have to notice the stuff that no one else should?" Dalton asked with grumble.

"Thank you!" Biggs yelled.

"What?" Dalton asked.

"I said the same thing earlier she seems to pick up on the things that are hidden." Biggs said.

"She has always been like that, it comes in handy in the field." Dalton said.

"Hey you are just grouchy because I found your thong." Hawk giggled making Dalton smirk. Max and Gem were both laughing.

"Hey I told you I DO NOT WEAR ANY I GO COMMANDO!" Biggs yelled all of the people in the command center were silent. Biggs sat back down looking embarrassed.

"Oh please people go back to work." Hawk said and everybody did.

"If it will make you feel any better I go commando as well undergarments are just too much of a hassle even at Manticore I did not wear them." Hawk said Biggs's eyes went tennis ball wide.

"She is right I remember the guards asking why they never had to return any of her underwear." Dalton said laughing making the baby giggle. Dalton smiled down at Eve and rubbed his nose against hers making her laugh.

"Ah he is so cute with her." Max said and Hawk smiled nodding her head yes.

"Hey is it possible for other series to mate and breed?" Alec asked out of the blue.

"Yes." Hawk said.

"How would you know?" Biggs asked making Dalton roll his eyes.

"Biggs you will soon learn to take what ever she says seriously without question so when she says yes she means yes." Dalton stated.

"I know because I had a talk with the good old freak docs when I was signed up for the breeding program. They explained how any X series could breed together but the age difference was stopping them and they did not know how we would react to inter breeding. They said X6, X5, and X8 could inter breed without many problems. The one major problem being that the older series traits will always be dominant so if an X6 and X5 got together and produced a kid the kid would have mostly X5 traits and a few weaker X6. The reason they did not inter breed was because they wanted their soldiers to be as pure and strong as possible." Hawk said.

"Neat." Alec said.

"Wait you were in the breeding program?" Biggs asked Alec was the only one who noticed the slight edge to his voice, okay and maybe Dalton.

"Our whole unit was." Dalton said looking uncomfortable.

"Were you paired with anyone?" Max asked.

"Yes, her." Dalton said pointing to Hawk, Biggs pouted silently knowing that the competition was sitting right next to him with a baby in his arms.

"The two of you never?" Alec asked.

"Ah once but that was before the breeding program. When he was sent to my cell for the breeding program we ended up playing cards." Hawk said making Gem laugh.

"He told me about that, sweet of you to suggest that." Gem said noticing the two did not really want to talk about the time they slept together.

"Yeah well he looked about as freaked out as I felt, I mean the two of us are like family and then we were told we had to have sex and pop out a kid so yes I was freaked. Even if we had already had sex we both knew it was weird, we are more like really close siblings." Hawk said and Max nodded in understanding.

"Are you kidding when I walked into her cell I walked in on her sleeping and since she is so used to me she did not wake up right away and when she did I was ready to run when we were forced to breed." Dalton said.

"Yes well I was even more freaked out when the next day someone told me I was lucky and that our copulation would produce an attractive prototype." Hawk shuddered.

"Yes well at least he did not stand there and tell Renfro you did it twice." Max said making Alec smirk.

"Yeah well unfortunately after two months my breeding partner and I were forced to copulate." Gem said.

"Thanks for having a stupid ex who got the place blown up." Hawk said making Max smile.

"Yeah thanks." Dalton said.

"Hey what can I say I have great taste in men." Max squealed sarcastically, but she was smiling at Alec making him smile.

"Well it looks like someone is sleepy." Dalton said as Eve yawned snuggling further into Dalton's chest.

"Lets get her to bed." Gem said as she and Dalton got up from the table and left the command center to put the baby to down for bed.

"I give it ten days before those two are mated." Hawk blurted out.

"No I give it a day, Gem really likes Dalton." Max laughed.

"Well I have to go, I am supposed to go with Neil from my unit and write down what all our area needs." Hawk rolled her eyes before leaving the three X5's.

"So Biggs you have a thing for Hawk." Max grinned impishly and Biggs let out an exasperated sigh.

"What is it with the two of you, are you now thinking on the same wavelength?" Biggs growled looking put out, but Max just smiled at him.

"As odd as it may sound I have come to know you pretty well and I have seen the look in your eyes you get when she is around." Max said.

"I don't know guys she is so young, still a teen and I am twenty three that is way to old for her." Biggs let out another sigh.

"No one said you had to jump in the sack with her right away, take her out for a while get to know her first you know the whole nine yards." Max said.

"True, but Max, Hawk is hot it is going to be hard not to jump her at every left turn." Biggs muttered.

"Yeah especially when she goes into heat, by the way has the heat lock up center been put in place?" Alec asked.

"Okay one yes it will be hard not to jump her when she goes into heat. Two yes the lock down center has been created I will not tell you where because only females are allowed to know, but it is not it TC." Max said and the male X5's nod their heads in understanding.

"See my problem here, and she is an X6, back at Manticore if I even so much as looked at her I would have been called a traitor." Biggs whined.

"Yes but we are in Terminal City now where we all mingle and kissing someone from a different series is not a firing squad offence." Max laughed patting the other X5 on the back.

"True just the other day I saw Dizzy give Mole a kiss on the cheek." Alec supplied.

"Oh that was so cute, he was so spooked by it." Max giggled shocking her two companions.

"Yes well now Mole tries to avoid the girl like a plague." Alec laughed.

"Someone actually kissed Mole?" Biggs stared at his friends bewildered.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek and it was only because he got her the pre pulse CD she wanted." Max said making Biggs laugh.

"Hey boss I think you should speak to this person on the phone." Dix muttered as he fidgeted in place.

"Who is it" Alec asked as the three X5's stood up.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Dix said as Max went over to the phone and pushed speaker, everything was silent in the head quarters as Max spoke.

"This is Max who is this?" Max asked in her solider all business tone.

"Well 452 this is White." White's voice rang throughout the large building, everyone's attention was on the phone, and some even looked fearful.

"How did you get this number?" Max asked.

"It was not hard, but listen I am not calling to threaten you only to warn you. You saw what happened to your little friends well lets just say that is only the beginning." White said.

"You people are sick White." Max growled.

"That is the thing 452 it was not us, and get this familiars were attacked and killed as well. Listen 452 the followers are not a group you want to rumble with, they are big into purity of the human race you know no super beings. They want a war and are determined to see our people, and yes I said our people, wiped out." White snapped. All was silent on Max's end.

"Who are these followers and what are they followers of?" Max asked.

"They are some religious group no one knows if they are Christian, Muslim, atheist or what but all we know is that they think we should be wiped off the face of the earth and they mean business." White said.

"Why are you telling us this?" Alec asked.

"Well 494 my superiors have decided that things have gotten serious enough that we need to start to work together, trading information and people. As a matter of fact the conclave is sending their best to help you they think that if we work together we might survive this." White said.

"Why should we trust you?" Max asked.

"Well you shouldn't but you should trust the person who is coming, she is powerful. Listen Max we need to work together here for our people to survive this, the killings will only get worse." White said. Several transgenic's stood there with their mouths open, White had just used Max's name and not her barcode, he was serious. Max looked to Mole, Biggs, Alec, Dix, Dizzy, several others asking if she should give the okay. All of them either nodded their heads or gave her a thumbs up.

"Okay we will cooperate with your people, but the first time you all try anything funny we will attack." Max said in a deadly tone.

"Agreed and we will do the same, the member who is coming is from the Conclave she is recognizable by the scar above the one I have you know what it looks like. Her second scar is another cartouche but it is an Egyptian asp snake wrapped around a crown and dagger." White said.

"Will she be coming to Terminal City?" Max asked.

"Yes, her and a telepath named Karl." White said and Alec cringed at the name of the powerful breeding line.

"Alright, and White…" Max said.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Thanks for using my name."

A/N: Please review!


	8. Arrival of the Conclave

**Part 7 The Arrival of the Conclave**

"Ah Terminal City a toxic wasteland the place just screams home right Karl?" Mandy mocked the city in front of her making the older guy chuckle. The two walked up to the gate and since they saw no one around they jumped the fence without breaking a sweat and they walked to the building they knew would be the command center.

"Well gee where is the welcome wagon?" Mandy asked once inside the active building, everyone stopped and starred at her.

"Designation?" Mole snapped pulling out a clipboard. Mandy frowned and squinted at the lizard man.

"Oh you think I am a transgenic, nope." Mandy said not expecting Mole to pull out a shotgun.

"Alright how did you get in here?" Mole growled loading his gun which got the attention of all those in the command center.

"Easy I jumped, it was not even a challenge. Now my old prep school the fence there now that was a challenge." Mandy remarked and Karl nodded his head in agreement.

"They made it like that so we would not escape." Karl noted.

"Prep school? Oh you are familiars." Max concluded and Mandy smiled while nodding her head yes, she was not stupid she knew she had to be nice and from what she has heard 452 was pretty cool.

"Yes this is Karl, and I am Mandy." Mandy said shaking Max's hand and then Alec's.

"Can I see your arms please?" Mole asked. Mandy and Karl pulled their sleeves up to their elbows. Karl had the familiar cartouche on his arm and only that while Mandy had that one and a crown with a dagger and snake.

"Wait the kid is the Conclave member?" Mole asked. Mandy just rolled her eyes as she tucked a piece of her maroon hair behind her ear.

"Yes I sit on the chair of Athena." Mandy said she was met with confused looks.

"The Greek Gods were familiars and members of the conclave Zeus and Hera being the leaders and Athena and Aries being the seconds. My brother and I sit on the seconds." Mandy droned.

"You have a brother? Any more siblings?" Mole asked with a growl.

"Yes I have a sister as well." Mandy said when Mole suddenly grabbed her by the throat.

"Your sister is that Thula bitch." Mole growled.

"Yes now put me down before I do to you what I did to the girl that pissed me off when I was seven." Mandy gasped out, the others in the large building saw Karl cringe letting them all know it was not pretty. Mole reluctantly let her go only to grasp his neck as he fell to the floor.

"You see when I was seven I was still being schooled on how to control my powers so when a girl started pulling on my hair calling me a freak I got angry, I ripped her skin from her flesh killing her painfully and almost instantly." Mandy snarled releasing her mind control on Mole.

"You flayed a girl?" Alec cringed.

"By accident, the sight still haunts me. Thula and my brother had to drag me away." Mandy said several people who were looking at the familiar closely could see pain momentarily flash in her eyes.

"Is your hair color real?" Biggs asked finally.

"Excuse me?" Mandy asked looking slightly offended.

"Well that sister of yours has the same color hair and I was wondering if the two of you had wacky dye jobs or if it was genetic." Biggs remarked.

"She is my half sister by the way, yes my hair color is real, and yes it is genetic all the females in my family have the same hair color." Mandy snapped. Max could see that this discussion was a touchy one for the girl so she decided it was time to change it.

"Well how about we go to a conference room and chat?" Biggs asked and Max led the way. Mandy glared at Mole as she followed behind the group. Max and Alec sat side by side at the head of the horseshoe table; Mandy and Karl chose to sit at the very end away from everyone.

"Okay let's start off with what your powers are." Alec said Mandy clenched her fists under the table.

"I am a crossbreed between telepath and Conclave breeding line. I have all the usual familiar powers strength, speed, agility, no pain, no disease, and immunity to poison. Then from the telepath line I have telekinesis or a modified version where I can move things with my mind but since it is not my strong point it drains me quickly. From the Conclave line I get teleportation, energy balls, and foresight." Mandy said.

"Foresight as in seeing the future?" Mole asked letting out a puff of smoke.

"Only a version of it yes, the future is a tricky thing and I am only shown one possibility when there are thousands." Mandy drawled.

"What about you?" Alec asked looking at Karl who looked as if he would rather nail his tongue to a train track then talk with them.

"I am a mind reader." Karl mumbled not caring that many of the transgenic's scooted away from him.

"It only works on the weak minds you all is safe." Mandy remarked smirking at Max who offered her a weak smile trying to be nice.

"So now that we shared do you want to get down to business?" Karl grumbled.

"Don't you want to know what we can do?" Mole countered with a smirk as he blew smoke at the two sitting across from him.

"We already know what you can do, we were given files on everyone and we know probably more about you then you know about yourselves." Mandy smirked her deep voice sending chills down Mole's neck…she was just a little too cold for him.

"Okay and that is in no way creepy." Biggs whispered to Alec.

"You would be the one who lost it to the hooker right?" Mandy asked looking at Biggs and the room went silent as the X5's eyes bugged out of his head.

"WHAT?" He yelled his voice painfully loud.

"Hey it was in your file apparently you were a bad boy on your mission. Just because I do my homework is no reason to be cold with me I know stuff about everyone." Mandy noted smiling wickedly.

"Well what about those who have done nothing wrong?" Mole inquired.

"Oh everyone has done something." Mandy countered, her gray eyes flashing in amusement.

"Not me." Mole simpered.

"Yes you have, remember Maraco?" Mandy asked and Mole clamps his mouth shut.

"Mole what happened in Maraco?" Biggs asked.

"Shove it pretty boy." Mole barked Mandy just smirked at him. After that group spent pain staking hours going over what all they knew, which was not much but they mostly just planned how to keep safe.

"Okay Max and I will take our guests to their room or rooms which ever they want, and everyone else should get back to work." Alec said and everyone quickly scrambled out of the room.

"So will you two be sharing an apartment?" Max asked.

"Sure we have no problem with that." Karl muttered.

"Are you two dating or something?" Alec asked with a smirk, but the two familiars had matching looks of disgust.

"Ah ewe no! We are best friends and sssooo not like that. Besides I have a boyfriend." Mandy said smiling brightly.

"Ah yes lover boy is coming back from London this week." Karl sang as the four walked to the living areas. Max and Alec shared a look knowing they were being let into the lives of their enemies.

"I still cannot believe the Conclave let you date him, he is powerless." Karl grunted. Mandy glared at the older man, but he only smirked back at her.

"Oh this is coming from the guy who dated Mindy Perky." Mandy said in a chipper voice making Karl wince.

"Well at least Mindy was approved." Karl retorted.

"Yes and that was only because she was too thick to wonder what all of the scars were from and why there is a funny scar on your arm. Oh and like the fact you always knew what she wanted and what she was thinking, you would think she would have become suspicious when you started yelling at her for buying the tie when she had not even bought it yet." Mandy said a wicked smile on her face; she obviously thought it was funny.

"Okay so that was a bad moment on her part, but that does not mean she was always slow." Karl mumbled his bottom lip sticking out slightly. Max and Alec just stared at the two, this was definitely a different side of the Conclave…it was scary.

Meanwhile in Joshua's old home.

Logan sat on the couch in a daze, Max had not come to save him she had let White have him and she had not even come to check and see if he was alight after the traumatic ordeal. Of course he had convinced himself that it was the blonde's entire fault and that he must have chained Max up so she could not get to him, Logan her true love.

"I know I should call her, call TC on the video camera that way I can see her and she will see what they did to me." Logan giggled as he went over to his computer, his exo skeleton hissing as he moved. He smiled at the little camera as he adjusted it to get the best view of him and to capture his best side. Grinning broadly he connected to the Terminal City computers.

"Hello is anyone there?" Logan asked sounding a lot like one of those annoying neighbors. Hawk appeared before the monitor, Logan did not know who she was he had only seen her around; he had never spoken to her. It is not like he would want to speak to her after all she was a freak.

"Ah yes is Max there?" Logan asked.

"She is busy." Hawk snapped her lip curling in anger, she knew who the guy was she had seen him around Terminal City; she lost a friend because of him.

"Well can you go and get her I am sure she will want to talk with me." Logan said smiling still even if he was becoming unnerved by the teens death glare, oh if only they had been encoded with death ray eyes the norm would be toast.

"She is not available at the moment I will let her know you called and she will get back to you when she has a free moment." Hawk said knowing that Max never had a free moment.

"Listen kid I know Max better then you and I know she would want to talk to me." Logan said when Hawk was suddenly pushed out of the way of the monitor. Logan smiled thinking that it was Max finally; it was Biggs.

"Listen Cale, Max can not talk right now she is in an important meeting and cannot be disturbed she will get back with you when she has a free moment. Now disconnect and leave Hawk alone." Biggs ground out shutting off the computer making Logan's screen go black. He stared at the monitor in shock and then anger…how dare he disconnect Eyes Only.

Oh Max will hear about this and soon that Biggs guy will be gone and that kid. Hark was it, was just stupid. Well what can you expect Manticore has wasted her brain for years she is a danger to society, a real freak. Who knows what she was trained to do, Alec the screw up was an assassin so the kid could be anything she could do anything.

"Well surely Max will call me later, I will just go take a quick cat nap. Cat like my girl that is funny." Logan chuckled walking to his room

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys and sorry about the no show fora long time I have been in Italy for the past month and then things before hand had been crazy sorry._


	9. Passion Vs Heat

Part 9 Passion vs. Heat

Mole and Dix came running back into the command center of Terminal City both looking alarmed. "Max!" Mole yelled. Max and Alec dropped what they were doing and blurred over to the two.

"What is it?" Alec asked.

"Hawk went into heat in the weapons cage…"Mole was cut off by Alec.

"Good you locked her in Max and the others can then get her out." Alec said.

"Not so fast princess Biggs was there when it happened and her heat set in too fast and she jumped him when we left he was all over her." Mole said.

"We might still be able to do something, Blaze, Harlot, Bubbles, Andy get over here now!" Max yelled the females all blurred over sensing something big was going down.

"We have an X6 in heat with a male in the weapons locker we can try and pull them apart so lets go." Max said and the females all blurred away. When they got to the locker they heard loud moaning and growling and Max knew it was too late.

"We have to get out of here." Blaze whispered so only the females next to her could hear Max nodded her head in agreement. Alec and the other males looked up when they saw the females coming back looking defeated.

"So I take it that it was too late." Alec said and one of the other females nodded her head. Alec went over and put an arm around Max knowing she felt horrible, he knew there was nothing she could of done and he knows that she knows that but he knew she still felt bad.

"If we had stepped in Biggs would have attacked us not to mention Hawk who would think some of us were trying to steel her mate." Bubbles said.

"I know his instincts would have kicked in and it is good that all of you got out of there." Alec said, he knew that if he was around Max in heat he would kill anyone who even so much as came near them it was like this primal need to protect his mate.

"What do his instincts have to do with this?" Mole asked.

"When an X series goes into heat the males react to them. The females want to get laid and pregnant on some unconscious level, Males on the other hand are interested in only getting the female knocked up." Alec said.

"What are the chances Hawk will end up pregnant?" Dix asked. Max and Alec shared a look. The other females looked sad.

"Hawk is young and incredibly fertile, the chances are 99.9 percent." Max whispered.

"Great so Biggs is going to be a daddy." Mole said trying to hide his shock.

"Looks like it, oh man this is going to be bad." Alec muttered and Max nodded her head. Both knowing neither person was ready for that.

"What do you mean?" Mole asked.

"Well this is the first real breeding we have had between different series. Even at Manticore they kept us apart they did not want interbreeding, this will be a first." Alec said.

"Some might not be open to the idea." Max said.

"Then there is the whole they only just started to hang out and they barely know each other." Bubbles said.

"Well we cannot do anything about it now, all we can do is help them." Alec said.

"Yeah right, help." Dix said.

Else where in Terminal City two familiars were getting settled into their new apartment. The two were used to moving around a lot after all they were supposed to go where the Conclave told them to go, even Mandy who was a part of the Conclave had to go where she was told.

"Ah this place is nicer then the last place I stayed." Karl said as he plopped down on the full sized bed. Mandy just glared at him as he just laid there it seemed like she was always working with Karl.

"I want to go look around, go to the head quarters and see if someone will show me around. Want to come with?" Mandy asked.

"Yup." Karl said rolling, literally, off the bed into a standing position. The two walked into a tension and stress filled base of operations later that day.

"Whoa what happened?" Mandy asked Max who looked sad.

"An X6 went into heat and we were too late and she and an X5 got their freak on." Max mumbled.

"That is rough but speaking from mild experience here knowing she is most likely knocked up, everything will work out. Familiars are not encouraged to interbreed because it was believed that it would contaminate breeding lines, but then when a few hybrids appeared we learned that the kids were a new type of breeding line, healers. We still do not like interbreeding but now it is because of the whole incest and too small of a gene pool thing." Mandy said.

"What she is trying to say is that their kid could be a new series with different strengths then the others, this is a good thing. Now all you have to do is get others to see that." Karl said. Numerous people had stopped to listen many were nodding in agreement.

"You guys are right this is a good thing and it will broaden the gene pool since it is hard to mate with a norm." Max said.

"Hey and if I remember correctly those two like each other." Karl said and Mandy just smacked him on the back of his head.

"Oh dear god it is a miny Max." Mole shrieked shuddering for the added affect.

"She always abuses me." Karl grumbled.

"Yes but you deserve it." Mandy barked. Alec just smiled and Max laughed.

"What is it with you pretty boys and liking your women violent?" Mole asked that sobered Karl and Mandy up real fast.

"Heck no we are so not like that." Karl said and Mandy nodded her head in agreement her gray eyes wide with shock.

"That is what our noble leader and princess here said at one point, now she is having his baby." Mole said. Mandy suddenly turned and pulled Karl's head sharply towards hers making him stumble and grab onto her as she kissed him long and hard before she pulled away.

"Nope not a thing." Mandy said.

"Yea no spark." Karl said, the two were serious they had absolutely no va va va voom in their kiss it was more of a splat. Mole just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"She actually kissed him." Mole muttered.

"Yes she did buddy." Alec said when they hear a shriek followed by a male scream.

"Biggs you pulled the tab!" Hawk yelled as the two came running, a loud screeching noise went off in the distance. Everyone just stared at them.

"Tear gas." Mole said and Hawk nodded. Biggs had his arm protectively around Hawk.

"So the heat over already?" Mole asked not seeing or ignoring the closeness of the two X series.

"Oh shut up will you." Mandy said grabbing Hawk by the arm and grabbing Max's and another girl as well and pulling them into a room. Everyone just stared after the unusual Familiar.

"She seems oddly comfortable with us freaks." Dix commented.

"She in some ways knows where you all are coming from. Not all Familiars are her biggest fans, they think she is a freak because she is stronger and better then them." Karl said Alec saw sadness flash in the other man's eyes.

"She cannot possibly know what Hawk is going through." Biggs growled.

"You would be surprised. Ever wonder why she was not so fond of Thula or why she was so insightful about the two of them?" Karl asked, Alec and Dix nodded their heads yes.

"The kid might be young but she knows a lot." Karl said leaving it there the others could tell from his look that the subject needed to be dropped.

"What about you sunshine do you know a lot?" Mole asked thinking he was being cute.

"I have seen what she has and yes I know a lot, the worst thing one can do is abandon their family." Karl said looking pointedly at Biggs. Karl then turned and walked out of the command center forgetting about that tour he had wanted earlier. Biggs and Alec just sat there in silence when a loud, even by norm standards, scream pierced through command center and Hawk went blurring out of the conference room followed by a panicked Mandy and a hysterical Max.

"Hawk sweetie everything will be fine!" Max yelled.

"You can get through this, I hope!" Mandy yelled.

"Oh come on just stop running!" The third girl yelled as she blurred after the other three. Everyone just stared before Alec and Biggs went blurring after the four females. They found them in an abandoned warehouse; then again there was nothing else really in Terminal City. Hawk was on the floor sobbing and throwing things.

"Hello are you listening here people! Do I look happy!" Hawk yelled chucking a piece of wood at Mandy who caught it with ease, only problem was the wood went through her hand, the girl did not even flinch. Alec looked at the other girls hand in horror he knew from experience that anything through the hand was mind numbingly painful.

"I don't feel pain remember, so you can keep throwing things it will not help." Mandy said pulling the wood out and wrapping a shirt around her hand to stop the bleeding.

"I am so not ready for this!" Hawk sobbed and Mandy nodded her head in understanding.

"You know none of us will abandon you, we stick together." Max said.

"Hey I am a Familiar I want all of you dead so well I might be the wrong person to talk to in this situation but…" Hawk laughing cut off Mandy.

"Wow you are trying to make me feel better by saying you want to kill me." Hawk said giving Mandy a watery smile.

"Hey I felt like being honest. The point is that I can see things most people don't not even you guys. You are tough and will come out of this on top." Mandy said.

"Wait you really want to kill us?" the other girl asked looking scared.

"Oh most definitely, but only for personal reasons and until our enemy is eradicated I am not allowed to kill anyone." Mandy grumbled pouting.

"You are one scary teen." Max said.

"Well if your brother was affectingly dubbed god of war and your sister was the leader of the elite killing squad scary tends to go along with it." Mandy said like it was common knowledge.

"I love how brutally honest you are." Hawk said.

"Well then you will love this. So you are nineteen and knocked up at least I am not trying to gut you like a fish for breathing in my vicinity." Mandy said plopping down on the ground next to the X6 and putting an arm around her. The others just stared at her not knowing if they should laugh or run away screaming. Mandy just sat there humming, it was official the Conclave sent an insane girl.

"I know what you are thinking and honestly I am not insane just a little fanatical." Mandy said and Hawk just snorted.

"Well as long as you don't try to kill us we are alright." Hawk said and Mandy bobbed her head in understanding.

"Hawk?" Biggs asked tenderly, he was upset by her reaction. It hurt him more then he let on knowing she was freaked about having his baby, he has known her for several months now and he has never seen her like this, she was really upset. He just hoped she would not hate him.

"I am fine just a little upset that my wacky DNA got in the way and screwed me over again, I am sorry by the way I tried to get away." Hawk said looking down, she felt horrible about the situation she has put Biggs in.

"Well as weird as this might sound I am okay with it." Biggs said, Max and the others got up and left the two alone in the run down warehouse.

"It is not weird it is comforting, just promise you will not leave me?" Hawk asked.

"I promise." Biggs said he had no idea what it was about the X6 that made him fall so hard for her in such a short amount of time. Before he would just see her around and watch her but then when he met her it was like being struck by lightening, he just found himself so attracted to her.

"You really want to kill us?" Alec asked as they left the warehouse.

"No one has given me a reason not to as of yet, how about you all try and change my mind." Mandy said before walking away, she too had forgotten about the tour. All she wanted to do was get back to her new residence and sulk. She really did hate being there and comforting a transgenic was just too odd for her. As she walked into her apartment she felt an instant prodding into her mind and she groaned.

"Karl if you want to know something just ask I hate it when you go into my mind." Mandy said flopping down onto the worn out couch. She rested her head on his large and solid shoulder.

"So why did you comfort her? I know you do not want them all dead, but I know you do not like them, so why be nice?" Karl asked.

"I saw what is ahead for her and I knew that she needed to be comforted, everything will work out but it will not be easy. Karl I had another vision." Mandy whispered.

"Of what?" He asked pulling her closer.

"I am not going to make it out of the war alive." She said she felt Karl tense at her words.

"You know you only see one version of the future one possibility, it could change." Karl said his voice unusually high.

"Karl look into your heart and tell me what you think." Mandy said but Karl remained quiet wanting to scream.

"That is what I thought." Mandy whispered.


	10. Blood and Blondes

Part 10 Blood and Blondes

Dizzy just sat there looking down at her hands in horror as the blood dried on her hands. "Why did you recommend me for this?" Dizzy asked Max who just sat there laughing at her disgust and horror.

"Because we need field meds and you have a lot of training in field med more so then others and you have a good bedside manner." Max said as Dizzy used the tweezers to pull the bullet out of an X5's shoulder, he twitched as she put rubbing alcohol on the wound, but when she blew on it he settled down.

"She is good." The X5 grunted and Max just smiled.

"Did I mention I do not like blood?" Dizzy asked making Max and the other X5 laugh.

"Blondie no one likes blood." The X5 said making Dizzy grumble more under her breath. The two of them still heard her and just smiled at her submission.

"Well I have to get back to the command center, take care of our boy Dizzy." Max said leaving the blonde girl to stitch up the male who just laughed at her defeated look.

Max took her time walking back to the command center as she took in all of the transgenic faces surrounding her, they had all come to accept her as a part of their family and she loved it knowing that she was beginning to fit in with all of them. They had all slowly become one big family always looking out for each other; no one was left behind or wanting. Alec and Max were their leaders and Max had become respected amongst the populace even by Mole who seemed to be Max's largest obstacle but she soon had won the heart of the big lizard man.

"Hey Max." Zero said coming up to Max making sure not to touch her, hey the guy was not stupid he knew Alec would kill him if he touched Max, even if the two were only friends. Alec was still not completely trusting of him.

"Hey Zero what are you doing over here?" Max asked laughing as Zero blushed.

"Well I was looking for you actually see I am having a major problem with Ralph and Fixit, they both like me and well I have no idea what to do." Zero said.

"I might not be the best person to ask about this I am not good with relationships because aside from Alec non of mine have been healthy, and even with Alec that did not start off too well. I think you should talk to Alec, Biggs or Rex about this they are the go to guys when it comes to women." Max said making Zero laugh.

"Alright I will ask one of them, it might be better having a guys opinion anyways." Zero said Max just laughed as he skipped away towards the gym where she and everyone else knew Alec was.

Logan looked helplessly at the front gates of Terminal City knowing that X series and anomalies were hidden watching him as he looked at the gates that separated him from his love. Oh how he missed Max, she was so close yet so far away, kept away from him by wire and wood. He knew Max did not want to be with Alec and that she was only with him because she was having his baby. He just had to tell her that it was okay and that the two of them could run away together and that they could raise the baby together as theirs, it would never have to know that it had a screw up for a father.

"Oh come on people just please let me in I need to talk with Max!" Logan said as he pounded on the fence. Several of the X6's were smiling knowing that this was what Mole and Dizzy wanted, they all wanted Logan to feel pain, pain like they felt; raw and full of gull.

"Sorry buddy we cannot do that." Rex said suddenly appearing on the other side of the gate; Logan stumbled backwards when he saw Rex. Logan was never very fond of the teen who thought he was better with a computer then Logan, he was Eyes Only for crying out loud no one was better with a computer then him.

"Just go and get Max I know she will want to speak with me." Logan said.

"No can do Logan, Max is occupied at the moment and will not be able to come down here just to talk with you." Rex said grinning from ear to ear knowing he was driving Logan up the wall.

"Like I have said before I know she will want to talk to me we love each other and I know this separation is killing her, I mean she has been away from me for over a day. She has not seen my face letting her know not to give up hope and that some day soon we will be sitting in our country house sipping wine as we watch our children play." Logan said.

"Oh make me yack, the day Max moves out to the country is the day I kiss Renfro." Rex said barks of laughter erupted around him, as the hiding transgenic's picture Rex kissing Renfro.

"Well then start puckering." Logan said making the laughter die off.

"Go away Logan she does not want to see you." Rex snapped.

"You do not know that you have no idea what Max and I have. Alec put you up to this didn't he? He has been trying to keep Max away from me for months, ever since he first met Max actually." Logan said.

"Right and none of that would have to do with Max being his breeding partner and he just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to her?" Rex asked Logan just stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"I know Alec hates me and all he wants is for me to suffer, I do not blame him after all Manticore did brainwash him into thinking I was the enemy and that I needed to be eliminated." Logan said he never saw Rex motion for one of the others to contact the command center.

"Logan I am asking you to please leave we do not want any trouble." Rex said.

"No I demand to see Max, she loves me and she needs me!" Logan yelled not seeing Mole coming.

"Calm down Logan, Max is busy so she sent me out." Mole said Logan just huffed when Max still did not show up.

"Stop keeping her from me, you all probably have her tied up in there so she cannot come out and see me. You all know she will want to ditch Alec and run away with me." Logan said.

"Yeah we are worried about our pregnant leader running away with a norm." Mole grunted letting out a puff of smoke.

"You all just don't want to admit that Max wants a normal life away from all of you that she wants to have lots of babies with me." Logan said.

"Oh that is disgusting, my girlfriend is not having kids with you." Alec said brushing his shaggy blonde locks out of his eyes as he approached the gate with Biggs and Zero.

"Yes she will, she loves me." Logan said Zero frowned.

"Yeah I am having a hard time picturing Max touching you let alone sleeping with you." Zero said and Alec just laughed.

"Oh Max and I will have sex lots and lots of sex." Logan said waving his hands wildly about.

"No my PREGNANT girlfriend would not even touch you remember you might die." Alec said.

"Yes and she knows that it is your fault we cannot touch and that someday we will find the cure for it. Someday soon the two of us will be holding hands again." Logan said pressing his face against the metal fence.

"Okay then Logan please leave we have too much to do without you standing around messing things up." Alec said turning to leave.

"Hey I am a valuable member of Terminal City I help out all of the time. I am the best computer specialist you all have." Logan said not seeing Rex moving towards his part of the fence.

"No norm. Cherish was the best computer specialist we had." Rex spat before disappearing into the shadows around the gate as he went back to his post. The others left as well, all silent.

Logan seeing that he was not going to get in decided he would have to come back later, but as he turned to leave something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and came face to face with Mandy who was smiling at him.

"Funny here I am their greatest enemy and I am here in Terminal City with them, but you the supposed love of Max's life are stuck on the outside. Funny how things turn out." Mandy said and Logan just stared at her in horror watching as the wind blew her maroon locks about.

"You. Somebody help a Familiar is here somebody help!" Logan yelled. Rex came out of hiding again this time very agitated.

"What are you yapping on about?" Rex asked nodding at Mandy who just smirked.

"She is a Familiar, kill her!" Logan yelled pointing to Mandy who just stood there with her hands on her hips. Logan shuddered when her saw humor flash in the steel gray eyes of the girl who was working with White.

"Yes I know she is a Familiar she is living here." Rex said.

"But she is one of the people who captured me!" Logan yelled and Mandy just snickered at him.

"Really you captured him?" Rex asked looking mildly pleased.

"Actually it was Ames but I was called in to play with him a bit." Mandy said making Rex smile, he knew that the girls definition of play involved blood and pain.

"Logan we have no problem with her being here so again run along now." Rex said and Logan just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"But she is trying to kill you!" Logan yelled.

"Not at this moment." Rex said.

"I am going back in, later Rex." Mandy said strutting away and Rex just laughed as several males openly stared at her before he disappeared back into the shadows.

Alec walked back into the main gym followed by Biggs and Zero, the three of them had been sparing and training before they were called to the front gates by Dix saying Logan was bugging some of the X6's. Several of the others who were in the gym made room for the three knowing they were going to need room for the intricate moves they used, especially Biggs who liked to make fighting an art.

"So what should I do I mean Ralph on the one hand has been a great friend but Fixit has always been well attractive." Zero said blocking one of Alec's left kicks.

"Go for Ralph she seems to have it bad for you, Fixit was interested in Bullet the last time I saw her, at least with Ralph her feelings do not change with the wind." Alec said.

"From what I know about both of them Ralph seems like the better choice if you want a serious relationship, where Fixit is love-them-and-leave-them kind of girl." Biggs said doing a back handspring towards Alec, kicking the blonde in the chest making him stagger back from the blow.

"I don't want a girl for just one night I am over that." Zero said.

"So go for Ralph." Alec said. Zero launched himself in the air and landed a solid roundhouse kick to Biggs chest sending him flying. Biggs swung his legs towards his head and then swung them straight using the momentum to stand up, he circled the other two again.

"So Biggs how is Hawk?" Alec asked stumbling back when Zero nailed him in his left side. Biggs just shook his head laughing as Alec looked at Zero with wide eyes, the kid sure packed a punch or a kick in this case.

"She is better, she has come out of the bathroom and just locked herself in her room now. She only lets her unit members, Max, Mandy and I in. Mandy actually is pretty amusing when she is not threatening to off all of our kind." Biggs said.

"She does have a morbid sense of humor but at least she is more fun than White who is all work and no play." Alec said.

"Yes I am starting to think the two are exact opposites, she seems to hate working." Zero muttered and the two X5's nodded in agreement.

"Yeah I got that impression when she first got here her presence just screamed I will kick your butt so fast and hard you will be feeling my foot for years to come." Alec said jumping out of the way as Biggs sent punches his way followed by a spinning kick, which landed.

The three continued to fight for hours Zero took the most hits overall and it was Alec who landed the most hits overall. Many had stopped to watch the three who were considered three of the best Manticore had. Alec was known for his deadly accuracy, Zero for his speed, and Biggs for the flash and glitter of his fighting.

"Wow I am impressed Biggs those flips were killer." Max said from her position at the door, everyone else was smirking knowing she had been there for over an hour. Alec of course knew the moment she entered the room, which made him fight harder wanting to impress her.

"Thanks." Biggs said smiling.

"Hey what about me?" Alec asked pouting, Max just laughed and gave a sweaty Alec a hug.

"But Zero man had the speed thing going on you were slaughtering them when it came to speed." Max said making Zero grin like an idiot.

"Hey I was fast." Alec pouted.

"Yes you were but everyone already knows you are the best." Max said.

"So you admit I am the best." Alec grinned wrapping his arms around Max's middle making her squirm to get away from his sweaty body but Alec just held on to her tighter.

"Yes, but try getting me to say that in front of people again." Max said, Biggs and Zero just laughed. A large X5 male walked into the gym then looking pained.

"Hey Scar how does the shoulder feel?" Max asked.

"Well Blondie sure does hate blood but she did a good job stitching me up, she made it all pretty look." Scar said showing off his red stitches. Max just laughed at the odd color.

"Why red?" Biggs asked.

"She said that it was the grisliest color they had and after all the bleeding I did I deserved the pretty stitches. I think she did it to get back at me for bleeding." Scar said scratching the back of his head.

"She does hate blood." Max agreed.

"Wait an X6 is afraid of blood?" Zero asked.

"She is a tech with medical training and I think blood brings back some bad memories." Biggs said.

"She threatened to kill me if I got injured again." Scar said.

"She would go through with it too." Alec muttered knowing Dizzy's temper.

"Max, Captain America just left." Mole growled.

"Now he left? That is four hours later." Max groaned Biggs just patted Max on the back and Alec kissed her forehead.

"Well as far as ex-boyfriends go Logan is bordering on the best one ever." Biggs said in a sarcastically cheerful voice, the ex of his best friend's girl would not leave her alone so yeah he was upset.

"Oh yes with his constant "Max and I are meant to be together" and "Max just has to believe that someday we will find a way to touch again without having to wear gloves." Alec said making his voice all whiney like Logan's.

"Ah but who can forget my all time favorites "Max loves me not Alec" oh and the new one "We are going to have lots and lots of sex." Biggs said making Max groan.

"I have no idea what I ever saw in him, he is just so…so…" Max tried to come up with the perfect word to describe Logan.

"Old." Biggs suggested.

"Spooky." Zero supplied.

"Weird." Alec said.

"Normal." Mole grunted.

"Yeah normal he is too normal for me." Max said shocking those around her.

"I thought you wanted normal?" Mole asked.

"At one time I did but after I got recaptured normal just did not feel right anymore and I did not want normal. I do not want normal I am so not normal and proud of it." Max said the others in the gym cheered, Max just turned her head into Alec's chest to hide her blush.

"Welcome to the freak family Max." Biggs said and everyone else just chuckled.

"Okay so how am I going to get rid of this Logan problem?" Max asked Alec and Biggs but everyone knew she was opening the question up to the entire gym.

"Well obviously the whole you having someone else's baby did not stop him, the beating him to a bloody pulp has not stopped him, and the letting the enemy capture him and sending no rescue did not work so you all are going to have to get inventive." Mandy said leaning against the wall with Karl behind her.

"She is right none of the obvious reasons have deterred him from his love of Max." Alec said.

"What about a visual?" Zero asked.

"What do you mean?" Max asked looking at the X6.

"Well has he seen you and Alec together? I mean has he seen you kissing and hugging right in front of him?" Zero asked.

"Not that I know of." Max said and Alec nodded his head in agreement.

"So basically Logan has had no real visual only rumors and words and a few healthy beatings?" Mandy asked.

"Yes." Alec said.

"So give him a visual, it does not have to be the two of you doing the nasty. It could be a sweet moment or some jazz like that." Mandy said.

"The evil witch does have a point." Mole said letting out another puff of smoke.

"See even the giant lizard agrees with me." Mandy said earning a hefty whack on the back of the head from Mole.

"I don't feel pain remember." Mandy said slapping Mole on the back of the head making him wince.

"Wow the witch packs a punch, she smacks hard." Mole said.

"Okay I want to pause our Logan discussion here because something has been bugging me all day." Max said.

"Okay what?" Alec asked.

"We have not seen Mandy or Karl fight." Max said and Mandy's face lit up and she started jumping up and down.

"Who do I get to hit? Oh can it be the lizard man or better yet lizard man and blonde boy?" Mandy asked pointing to Alec.

"Sure." Alec said letting go of Max, Mole grudgingly went to the center of the mat as well as everyone moved to the perimeter of the large open gym. All three took fighting stances, Mandy's eye color suddenly changed.

"Oh crap what the heck is that?" Alec asked staring into the teens now black eyes.

"Oh just a little perk of being me." Mandy snarled. Mole initiated the fight trying to punch Mandy in the face; she easily grabbed his hand before he had a chance to pull back. Mandy pushed his arm back while it was locked sending waves of pain up the lizard man's arm.

Alec right kicked with a left punch and Mandy pushed Mole in front of her making him receive the painful blows. Mandy pushed Mole out of the way as she jumped in the air, did a 360 with her right leg extended and nailed Alec in the left side of his face with a hideous crack.

"Oh that had to hurt." Biggs said watching in fascination as Mandy then kicked Mole in the stomach while she head butted Alec.

"She has a great strategy, she is taking out the stronger of the two first by going for the head, and Mole she is just holding off while she gets rid of the challenge." Zero said.

"The transgenic hardly posses a challenge for her, none really do except another member of the Conclave." Karl said. Mandy grabbed onto both sides of Mole's head using his as leverage to swing herself in the air as she landed a windmill kick to Alec's head sending him to the ground. Seeing that Alec was down Mandy head butted Mole, kneed him in the face-forcing Mole to his knees where she delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head making him grunt in pain. She then did a 540 triple stunning many of the people as they heard a gorse crack when her feet collided with Mole. Alec managed to get back up but he was pleasantly greeted with an axe kick followed by a 720 sending Alec back down.

Alec got back up and flipped over to Mandy who flipped into the air and the two stood facing each other. Soon the two were just a blur of limbs the only sound was flesh hitting flesh and no one knew if it was them landing punches or blocking. Alec suddenly went flying through the air and Mandy lazily raised her right hand and flicked her wrist.

"Stay." Mandy said in a firm tone, Alec stopped in mid air. He moved his head from side to side as he looked at his current predicament.

"Oh this cannot be good." Alec said when Mandy flicked her wrist again. Alec went shooting up to the high gym ceiling and crashed into it with a bang.

"Oh I am so out of my league on this one." Alec gasped out. Everyone just stared in shock as Mandy threw Alec around the room with just a flick of her wrist she even changed hands.

"Hey look no hands." Mandy said sitting down on the mat with her hands folded in her lap. Soon Alec was being viciously thrown from the ceiling to the floor to one wall and then the next before she finally stopped.

"Oh that hurt." Alec gasped wincing as he got up off the mat.

"She just flew Alec around the room." Zero said Max just stood there with her mouth open, for once speechless.

"The trick to fighting her is not give her the chance to use her other abilities just keep going at her, your mistake was giving her the opportunity to control you." Karl said as he pulled off his shirt and walked into the center of the mat where Mandy stood. The two just stared at each other and then they both threw their arms up and screamed. A huge pulsating wave of energy appeared before them like a huge wall of blue and green. The two seemed to be pushing at the wall forcing it toward the other.

"They are telepathically creating a wall of energy and trying to force it on each other." Scar said as everyone stared transfixed as the two started to sweat, the two screamed again as the barrier went down and the two flew at each other, the physical attack had begun.

It was insane to watch, the two were merciless with each other, head butting and biting to gain the upper hand. Karl picked Mandy up and slammed her down on the ground with a nauseating crash. Mandy jerked the lower half of her body up towards Karl's head as she wrapped her 

thighs around his neck and she squeezed hard before she jerked again and pulled him to the ground.

"Oh that is so cool." Biggs said, as the two Familiars became a blur as they fought.

"Now that I what I call a tough chick." Max said rubbing Alec's sore shoulder unconsciously as she watched the fight, Alec noticed though. The fight lasted for a long time and ended with Mandy stepping on Karl's windpipe ending their fight.

"That was great." Scar said.

"Yeah I am impressed, White sure did not fight like that." Max said and Mandy just smirked.

"Well I am just special." Mandy said and Karl snorted at that.

"Yeah special compared to me, your brother can take you down pretty fast." Karl said then he swore under his breath realizing his mistake. Mandy's eyes changed back to black, Karl went flying through the air.

"I am better than him." Mandy growled dropping Karl from his position on the ceiling, everyone watched as he fell to the ground.

"So then why is he always beating you in fights?" Karl asked Mandy just looked at him.

"Well if you had bothered to check you would have realized I did not want to hurt a family member. You on the other hand are being insolent." Mandy snarled.

"Wait you never pull that I am in a higher position then you crap." Karl spat out angry that she was being such a brat.

"Well you never challenged by authority before now. I am in line for the head of the Conclave not my brother. Don't ever challenge me again." Mandy said walking out of the gym.

"Hey no one in a position of power likes to be challenged I can feel for her there." Max said.

"Yeah especially when you can wipe the floor with the other person." Alec said looking at a brooding Karl. Alec, Biggs, and Zero grabbed their shirts before they followed Max out of the building.

"So when are you two going to give Logan a floor show?" Biggs asked as they enter their apartment building, Max said Zero could use their shower because it was closer.

"Oh next time we see him definitely, the sooner he is away from Max the better I will feel." Alec muttered.

"I want a pickle." Max said suddenly, the three guys just stared at her the two X5's were smirking.

"No not that kind of a pickle I want a real one a nice and salty one, oh that sounds so good." Max said licking her lips.

"Dude go get her a pickle." Alec said staring at Max's lips.

"You're her mate you go get her one." Biggs said.

"Right I will go get her one." Alec said blurring away, Max just smiled knowing she was soon going to get the pickle she wanted.

"You have him whipped Max." Biggs said as the three headed down the hall.

"No I do not, Alec is not capable of being whipped." Max grumbled and Biggs just laughed knowing Alec really was whipped, Max just did not realize it. Max let Zero into her apartment while she stayed out in the hall with Biggs.

"Max the guy just went all the way to the mess hall to get you a condiment. I think it is safe to say you have him whipped." Biggs said.

"That is not whipped that is just Alec not wanting to listen to me whine." Max said leaning against the wall while she waited for Alec, she did not want to go inside her apartment without Alec for some reason.

"Want me to wait with you?" Biggs asked and Max nodded.

"Do you think Mandy will be okay? She seemed really upset." Max asked.

"I think she will be fine she was just mad that someone she thought stood behind her was really rooting for someone else. It sounds like her relationship with her brother is less than stellar." Biggs said.

"That is an understatement she was livid at the thought that he was better than her. I know sibling rivalry exists but man that is taking it to a whole new level." Max said remembering how cold she was.

"Here is your pickle ma'am." Alec said giving Max a mock salute.

"At ease solider and thanks." Max said biting into her desired treat she loved the salt. Max then walked into the apartment followed by Alec just as Zero came out of the bathroom freshly showered.

"Alright I get to shower now!" Alec yelled running into the bathroom.

"Thanks for letting me use the shower I need to get going. Later Max." Zero said leaving.

"Later Zero." Max said.

Over across the hall Biggs had just gotten out of his shower, he quickly threw on some fresh clothes and went to go see Hawk. Since the X6 was in the other apartment complex he had a ways to walk, about six blocks where most of the X6's and X7's stayed. Most of the X6's and X7's stayed two to an apartment where X5's usually had their own place. It made Biggs grumpy when he thought about Hawk's roommate, Bubbles. Man that girl could talk forever but her and Hawk were great friends so he had to put up with her. Biggs walked into the large apartment building and walked up to the third floor where Hawk was he knocked on the door.

"It's open." Hawk said and Biggs walked in. Hawk was hanging upside down on a metal bar she had hanging in her bedroom doorway, it looked like she was doing sit-ups.

"Should you be doing those?" Biggs asked.

"Heck if I know, all I know is I am stressed and this helps relieve it. It was either this or sparing and I think that is now frowned upon." Hawk said. "Even if there is technically no baby yet, I don't even think sperm has met egg."

"I know but we both know it is inevitable and I would prefer that you not fight and risk injury."

"I will not fight even if it works off the stress." Hawk grumbled making Biggs smirk. Hawk grabbed onto the bar with her hands and let her legs down before she let go of the bar.

"I can think of a better way to reduce stress." Biggs said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not gonna happen." Hawk said smiling and Biggs gave her a fake pout.

"Okay so humor me here come out with me tonight to Crash. I know you are not legal but with a baby you cannot drink anyway and you could pass for a twenty something so please come with me?" Biggs asked getting down on his hands and knees making Hawk laugh.

"Alright I will go, I need to get out of here anyway." Hawk said heading into her room knowing Biggs was following; hey he just slept with her seeing her room was not a big deal.

"Okay so which top the red halter or the black bikini top?" Hawk asked holding the two up. Biggs eyes sparked with anger.

"No way are you wearing either of those, a baggy T-shirt will do just fine." Biggs said going over to her dresser.

"So that mean the purple tank top and low rise jeans got it." Hawk said much to Biggs's relief.

"Now that I can live with but just a warning Max, Alec and I have this friend Sketchy and he has an obsession with women so he will hit on you just ignore him." Biggs said pulling Hawk with him out of her apartment as the two made their way over to Biggs's bike. Biggs got on and Hawk got on behind him wrapping her arms around his well-toned waist.

It did not take long to get to Crash from TC and when the two got there Hawk let her long black hair out of its holder and straightened it out so that it looked windblown and sexy. The two walked into Crash and Hawk got a lot of male and female stares to say the least. Once the two got over to the crowded table in the back Hawk was greeted by several happy squeals as Max, and Gem hugged her while Alec, and a few other X5 males shouted greetings.

"Okay Hawk this OC, Sketchy, and Normal they work with us and are great, guys this is Hawk." Max said noticing the happy expression on Sketchey's face.

"So Hawk want some bear?" Sketchy asked.

"No thanks I can't have the stuff." Hawk said and Biggs just patted her on the back smirking.

"Why not? Come on just a little?" Sketchy asked.

"She can't because she is pregnant man." Alec said and OC spit out her beer.

"Oh please tell me it is not hot boy's." OC said glaring at Alec.

"No it is his." Hawk said pointing to Biggs who was grinning.

"Oh man you all get all the hot girls." Sketchy whined and Scar just smirked patting the other guy on the back.

"We sure do." Alec said.

"Are you sure you want to be with him? I mean I am great in bed." Sketchy asked much to Hawk's horror.

"Ah Sketchy Hawk is an X6." Alec said and the other guy's eyes widened in fear.

"No way." Sketchy said.

"Yes way." Hawk said smirking her eyes glittering in her amusement.

"I don't think I have ever met an X6." Normal said.

"Yes you have you met my CO Dalton." Hawk said and OC's mouth popped open.

"Shorty was your CO?" OC asked.

"And her breeding partner at one time." Alec said smirking at Biggs's irritated expression.

"Oh no they did not." OC said and the others nod.

"They actually made teenage kids breed?" OC asked.

"Not many of us just the oldest of us I think about twelve X6's had been put into the program no copulation ever happened." Hawk said.

"Ah human speak please." Sketchy said.

"They never had sex fool." OC said.

"So you and my Golden Boy's best friend are an item?" Normal asked.

"I guess I mean technically I am his mate now." Hawk said and Biggs just grinned.

"Well yes seeing as how you are carrying his baby and all." Scar said sarcastically, Hawk just made a bunch of hand gestures that only the transgenic part of the group understood.

"Oh that was harsh." Gem said and Hawk just grinned.

"Ah she already smells of Biggs." Scar grumbled Max leaned over and sniffed Hawk who just blushed.

"Wow Biggs I am impressed." Max said and Biggs just stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh hey guys check it out it is Mandy and some older guy." Scar said pointing to the Familiar and the other male; soon three others joined the two at their table one had a military buzz cut.

"Hey I recognize that guy he is a three star General in the army." Hawk said as two more people joined the table.

"What are they saying?" OC asked and all of the transgenic's listened in.

"So Mandy how is TC treating you?" a man with dark brown hair asked with a cheeky grin.

"Well Michael it is better then the last place I stayed." Mandy said.

"Hey that was my place!" Michael yelled and Mandy just grinned.

"So what have you got wiz?" the man with the buzz cut asked.

"Well I keep having this reoccurring vision about a warehouse and a fight but the warehouse is not in TC I checked. In the fight I die." Mandy rushed to get it all out.

"We will look into this I am not letting my kid sister die!" Michael yelled looking panicked.

"I know you don't want me to but Michael look into it I think there is more to the fight I am just not being shown what." Mandy said and Michael reached across the table and put his hand on top of her head and suddenly pulled his hand back as if he had been burned.

"What did you see?" A tall well-built blonde man with green eyes asked looking worried.

"No I cannot loose you!" Michael growled his eyes flashed black.

"What did you see?" The General demanded.

"She goes into the warehouse because I was there with Karl. Some of those acolytes attacked and mobbed her and they killed her. It was a trap." Michael said.

"Wait why were you there?" Mandy asked sounding suspicious.

"I don't know but I am going to warn brother White of this and demand he not go anywhere without consulting me or another member here today." Michael said.

"Moving on it has come to our attention Mandy that your current partner is incompetent the Conclave has decided that you are in need of someone with a genetic boost." The General said.

"Wait, what?" Mandy asked.

"Mandy the guy is a dope you need someone who is strong, we recommend someone from either the warrior breeding line or the Conclave." Michael said Mandy looked terribly upset.

"One question with whom will I loose the least amount of children?" Mandy asked looking ready to cry.

"With someone from the Conclave." The blonde man said.

"I choose someone from the Conclave." Mandy whispered, those at the other table could tell she did not want to be having the discussion.

"Good we have someone in mind, Nate here." Michael said coldly pointing to the blonde and the two just nodded in understanding.

"When should she be pregnant by?' Nate asked the transgenics shivered at how cold that sounded.

"Three years from now." The General said much to Mandy's relief. She was young and with her impending death she did not want to have her family suffer a double loss.

"I sensed yesterday that you were upset, why?" Michael barked at Mandy.

"Well Karl seems to believe you are stronger and a more capable fighter." Mandy ground out; at the other table they could see the small muscle in her jaw pop out.

"Do you want to exchange him for another?" Nate asked.

"No I trust him, but in the middle of a room full of our former and possibly future enemies I do not need him questioning my strength and ability to do my job." Mandy said and Michael nodded.

"I will talk with him about it." Michael said but Alec could see that the guy looked pleased.

"If there is nothing further this meeting is adjourned." Mandy said and they all clasped arms and departed. Michael suddenly turned when the others were out of the bar and looked at the table full of TC residents and their friends. He smirked evilly at them before creating a fireball in his hand discreetly and flashed it at the group before he made it disappear as he exited the building.

"I now know why Mandy is so against her brother." Hawk said.

"Is it just me or did anyone else get this evil vibe from him like he is just bidding his time until he will kill us all?" Max asked as Alec pulled her closer, he must have sensed it as well.

"No he is definitely a bad apple." Biggs said pulling Hawk closer as well. In the future they were going to have to watch that guy and hope to get on Mandy's good side otherwise they were screwed.


	11. The Joys of Twins

**Hey guys thanks for the replies to the last part I love reading what all you have to say! Please let me know what you are think of this new part!**

Part 11 The Joys of Twins

She had to keep running her destination was just ahead only a little further. As she ran she had to ignore the pain after all it was what she was trained to do, she did not feel the pain in her chest from running twenty miles, the three bullets in her stomach, nor did she feel the large gash across her face she only felt fear if you can even feel that. As the gate came into view she pushed her body harder to reach it cringing at the screech of tires behind her, she was startled when the gates opened suddenly. She did not care she just rushed in and was relieved when the cars did not follow; she fell to the ground from exhaustion.

"You alright?" A boy with a rifle asked.

"No, please get Mandy." She gasped out spitting out blood. The boy's eyes widened as he pulled out his radio.

"HQ this is Rex we have a situation get Max and Alec and tell them to bring Karl and Mandy it is urgent." Rex said looking down at the girl. She had long purple/red hair, green eyes, and from the skin that was not caked with blood he could tell she was a pale girl. Max, Alec and the two Familiars followed by others were there in a few minutes, Mandy screamed when she saw the girl.

"Tara, no!" Mandy yelled, when she was next to the girl the others could see the two looked similar.

"I am sorry I could not hold them off, they got the others. Nate sent me to get you." Tara gasped out.

"Who did they get?" Karl asked.

"They attacked the school most made it to the safe haven but six telepaths, two priestesses, and two Conclave members were killed." Tara wheezed.

"Who were the Conclave members?" Mandy asked crying.

"Troy and Helena." Tara gasped out, Mandy backed away from the bloody girl shaking her head her eyes were wild as she looked up at the night sky and screamed. Her scream was so full of pain and despair that several of the transgenic's cried feeling her pain as she roared to the stars in agony.

"Get her to medical!" Max yelled and Mole grabbed Tara forgetting that she was his enemy; Karl picked Mandy up who was now sobbing.

"They killed my family they will suffer for this!" Mandy roared Max and the others could only look on as the emotional pain assaulted her. Karl put Mandy down when she started hitting him, they watched in horror as Mandy jumped the fence and ran away.

"She should not be out there alone." Alec said.

"The last thing you want is people around her now, they could get killed." Karl growled.

"Who were Troy and Helena?" Biggs asked.

"Her cousins, best friends, and life line." Karl said.

"Who is Tara?" Max asked fearing the answer.

"Her little sister." Karl whispered as Max and the others lead him to the medical building in Terminal City. Once they got there they heard Fickle yelling orders.

"Dizzy how is she doing?" Alec asked as the girl came out to talk with them.

"She is bad off." Dizzy said.

"Hey guys you have to check this out!" Dix yelled running into the hospital. The others all blurred over to the command center, the TV monitors were all on and the news was blaring it looked like every news station was covering the mystery event.

"I repeat thirteen humans have been killed all of them over thirty. A girl a few moments ago came through this area in a fit of rage and covered in blood and she apparently killed the people for vengeance. Governor what do you have to sat about this?" The newswoman asks a man with salt and pepper hair with glasses.

"_She was deeply upset and understandably so these men were responsible for the deaths of children at a prep school as well as adults. From what I have heard she went to school there and hunted the men down. These men killed innocent children in cold blood this kid was just returning the favor." The Governor says shocking everyone._

"_Are any charges going to be pressed? Is she arrested?" Another reporter asks._

"_No she has been sedated because she was hysterical. She is no threat and as for the rest well that is confidential because it is an open case." The Governor says._

"_But Governor she murdered people in cold blood, our society is not eye for an eye she needs to be punished." Another reporter says, the leaders eyes flashed black for a second._

"_Let me tell you something, when you find out that your friends and family were murdered in school you would not sit back and let it go by unpunished, I don't blame the girl and neither should you." The Governor snaps before leaving in a huff._

"Looks like Mandy killed them." Max whispered.

"Not that we can blame her we would have done the same." Alec said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"What I don't get is why the Governor is letting her get off." Biggs said.

"He is a Familiar." Mandy said from behind everyone, there was Mandy with the blonde from Crash she looked out of it.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Max asked.

"No I am fine, can I see Tara please?" Mandy asked.

"Sure but there is something you need to know…" Alec was cut off by the piercing look the other man was giving him.

"I have seen her death Alec, I know what is to come. I am going to loose yet another member of my family tonight all because of those humans." Mandy whispered following Max and Biggs out of the command center towards the hospital.

As they walked Alec could see how troubled Mandy looked, like her world was falling around her. Her eyes were dull and emotionless, yet he could tell she was in pain almost as if the emotion was radiating off of her. Her maroon hair was matted and caked with blood, the others knew that it was the blood of her victims; they could smell it was not hers. There were cuts and scrapes all over her arms but that was expected. When they entered the building Mandy just walked into the triage room much to Fickle's irritation.

"Hello little sister." Mandy whispered, the others stood back knowing to give her space.

"Hello (gasp) princess." Tara gasped out, blood dribbled from her mouth.

"I have avenged you, but it is not enough I am so sorry Tara I am too weak to save you." Mandy sobbed. Max felt her heart contract at how painful her sobs were.

"I know but even you Mandy can't (gasp) stop death, at least not yet." Tara said giving Mandy a weak smile.

"Yarak, vesto alfa narak eto para misto mi sorsansa." Mandy whispered.

"Eto para misto mi sorsansa, eto para misto." Tara gasped out when a loud beeping sound rang throughout the room, Mandy stood back as the others tried to revive Tara, but the young girl knew it was futile and that her sister was gone.

"Eto para misto Tara." Mandy said a stray tear rolled down her pale cheek.

"What did she say?" Max asked Karl and the other man.

"I love you Tara." Karl whispered.

The others just stood there not knowing what to do as Mandy watched her sister who had just been pronounced dead. Her anguish was overwhelming and covered those in the room with a blanket of cold despair.

"Harak meto mi ambos narpeto karvak jepa haekarlemash." Mandy growled.

"Now what did she say and why do I get the feeling it was not good?" Alec asked.

"She said, death to all mankind and all who stand in my way." Karl said, the others deep down began to panic when they saw fear flash in the telepath's eyes. As a general rule, when the thing you fear looks scared it is time to run away and hide.

"I don't feel so good." Hawk muttered looking from Tara and then to Mandy and then back to Tara.

"What is it?" Biggs asked pulling Hawk closer. Hawk was rubbing her thighs and lower stomach like she was in pain, Dizzy jumped up when she saw the action.

"Fickle we need to get her a bed now!" Dizzy yelled and the two meds pulled Hawk into another room.

"Okay Hawk you need to calm down, how long have you been feeling cramps?" Fickle asked.

"Um an hour." Hawk said unsure of what was happening.

"She is not far a long at all maybe a few days at most." Dizzy said.

"For transgenics though that is enough time." Fickle said confusing Biggs, Max, and Alec who were in the room with her.

"Enough time for what?" Biggs asked.

"For an egg to be fertilized in an X series she is officially pregnant which means she could be loosing the baby if she is not careful." Fickle said as Dizzy hooked up the IV.

"Care to elaborate on this?" Max asked.

"Listen in norms it takes about two, three weeks for an egg to be fully fertilized, in X series it is in two three days like the animals you have in you. She is technically pregnant and the crap feeling is not good, she has been under too much stress." Fickle said.

"But I have done nothing!" Hawk yelled and Dizzy pinched her.

"Calm down, it is emotional and physical, just relax some will ya?" Dizzy asked.

"Go one Fickle." Alec said and the med nodded.

"Okay well the first trimester for X series is where the baby grows rapidly, in norms the growth process for a fetus is gradual and slow but in X series it is quick where the baby is almost fully grown around five months which is why we were perfect for the breeding program. The rest of pregnancy is where the brain develops on a more superior level then that of the norms." Fickle said.

"Right now Hawk here is only a few days along but to a norm it would be like a few weeks." Dizzy said.

"Anything we can do?" Max asked.

"Keep her calm, we are giving her a few things to slow her down and make her rest, but she is X6 so it is going to be tough." Fickle said ducking as Hawk tried to hit him.

"She will be alright I have seen it." Mandy whispered from the doorway, Alec actually jumped when he heard the other girl. He looked at the Familiar stunned; no one had ever snuck up on him.

"Promise?" Biggs asked Mandy went into the room farther so that Biggs could look at her eyes.

"Promise." Mandy said and the others knew she meant it. Max and Alec left soon after with Mandy and her two friends.

"Uh I am going to go home for the night, I need to be away from here." Mandy said.

"We understand, and uh sorry for your loss." Alec said, Mandy nodded.

"When will you be back?" Max asked Mandy gave the older girl a weak smile.

"Tomorrow, but tonight I need to get away, it will not look good if the news gets wind of the human killer being in Terminal City." Mandy said, and that is when it dawned on Alec just why she was leaving.

"You don't wan us to be blamed for the killings." Alec said.

"Yeah there is that and well I want my bed." Mandy said, Karl and the other man each put an arm around Mandy and lead her out of the city.

"Things have gotten so out of hand here Alec, these people have gone too far. Tara was no older then sixteen and yet they killed her." Max whispered, it was unfair that so many people hated what was different just because it was that, different.

"I know Max and we will do something about this, heck Mandy already did something about it." Alec said.

"But she could have been hurt Alec, we can't take that risk, we have no idea what we are up against here." Max said Alec could see how tense Max was getting and it worried him. Seeing Hawk whom was one tough girl go down from stress made him worry about Max and his kid.

"Max lets worry about this in the morning and get some rest, we are not going to solve anything if we are exhausted and I know you are even with that shark DNA." Alec said leading Max along as they heading back to their apartment. Right when they got inside Max gratefully fell onto the bed with Alec.

Alec looked at Max and saw how tired she looked, so to get her to sleep he started rubbing her stomach. Max purred like a giant cat which only made Alec's smirk widen, he knew she liked her tummy rubbed, she said it calmed her. Max turned on her side and cuddled closer to Alec, Alec gladly pulled her closer.

"Night Alec." Max whispered.

"Night Maxie." Alec said kissing the top of her head.

That night TC was peaceful, but there was a cold presence in the back of everyone's minds. The younger series tossed and turned in their sleep feeling restless because of the chilly calm that had settled around them. The transhumans shivered sensing that the night calm was just the divers deep breaths before the plunge and that scared them all. It was the waiting on the eve of a battle that made the soldiers crazy and it was the impending war that was making the Manticore alumni insane.

"Hawk how you feeling?" Max asked the next morning, her and Alec went over to the hospital right away so they could see Hawk and Biggs.

"Tired and hungry, Biggs just stepped out to get me food because Fickle is still sleeping and Dizzy as you can see has her hands full." Hawk said pointing to a furious Dizzy who was bandaging up Scar again this time she was purposely jabbing him in his fresh wounds.

"Oh no what happened?" Alec asked.

"Well I kind of had an accident." Scar said being vague, Alec saw the look in Scar's eyes; he did not want to talk about it meaning he was probably beat up by another transgenic.

"Your bleeding again, I told you what would happen to you if you bled again! I am a computer freak not a medic!" Dizzy yelled.

"Sorry blondie but I needed medical attention." Scar said handing Dizzy a bandage for his bicep.

"Well you could have woken Fickle up, Max I am not a trauma person I was trained for small stuff and to be a midwife." Dizzy said catching the attention of the whole room.

"You were trained to be a midwife?" Alec asked.

"Yes did I not mention that?" Dizzy asked looking at Hawk who looked ready to laugh.

"No you did not mention that." Alec said.

"Oh well right when the breeding program started up I began the training because hey what are they to do if a transgenic female went into labor early on a mission or something so I went into training and I am now a midwife." Dizzy said as she finished bandaging up Scar.

"This is great Dizzy, I mean sure the docs here know how to deliver a baby but you have had actual training." Max said.

"Does Fickle know you can do this?" Hawk asked.

"Yes which is why he made me the official midwife of Terminal City." Dizzy said.

"So you are going to deliver my kid?" Alec asked.

"Yep every last one of your little tikes." Dizzy said patting Scar on the back letting him know that she was done with him. She then walked over to Hawk and checked on her.

"Well Hawk your doing much better but I want to do another Ultra Sound so that I can make sure there are no problems, the chances of seeing anything are little but I want to make sure that you are fine. Also I want to check Max out, Fickle recommended it because I know what to look for. Alright Max get into a bed already." Dizzy said and Max eagerly jumped into a bed and Hawk laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Alright I will do Max here first because Alec is here and then I will do Hawk when Biggs gets back." Dizzy said pulling up the machine.

"Alright lift up the shirt and unbutton those pants." Dizzy said making Max laugh.

"Hey I am the only one allowed to tell her that." Alec said pulling up a chair next to Max.

"Okay so this gel stuff is really, really cold so be prepared." Dizzy said.

"I know." Max said. It took a few minutes but soon there was a steady thump sounding throughout the room.

"Oh now this is weird." Dizzy said.

"Okay Dizzy saying that to a pregnant woman is not exactly a good thing." Max said.

"What? Oh sorry Max it is just that I thought Fickle told me you were only having one baby." Dizzy said.

"I am." Max said.

"No there are two babies here and two different heart beats." Dizzy said turning the monitor so the parents could see the two small little blobs that were their babies and the two separate lines that were their heartbeats.

"There are two of them Alec look we have two babies." Max said in awe.

"Congratulation guys you are having twins." Dizzy said.

"Wait how come Fickle did not pick up on this a couple of days ago?" Alec asked.

"Well it is actually easy to miss twins in the first trimester. You see their heat beats can beat so together that it can sound like one heart beat and it did and the one twin can hide behind the other and the monitor might not pick up on them for months." Dizzy said.

"Oh I did not know that." Max said.

"Well it was to be expected that the two of you are going to have twins I mean after all the two of you are twins." Dizzy said.

"Oh no we are having twins, oh no this can't be happening." Max suddenly started to panic.

"Max we are having twins we can do this." Alec said getting worried.

"Alec the last thing we need is two of us running around I mean think about what we were like when we were children." Max said and Alec shuddered.

"Okay so we will have our hands full but we can do this." Alec said.

"Besides it is not like you two are doing this alone you have an entire city full of people to help you." Dizzy said and Max started to calm down and come to terms with the idea that she was going to have twins.

"Okay I can do this Alec and I can do this." Max said.

"Hey guys what is going on?" Biggs asked coming in with a cart full of food.

"Well we just found out Max and I are having twins." Alec said.

"Oh dear God help us all." Biggs said.

"Hey!" Max and Alec yelled.

"I think a little Max and Alec would be cute." Hawk said.

"You would." Biggs said.

"Aright now that the daddy is here I can get this Ultra Sound done now lift up your top and unbutton your pants?" Dizzy ordered.

"Okay guys why did Dizzy just order my mate to expose herself and can she do this?" Biggs asked.

"Long story short Dizzy here has midwife training." Hawk said shuddering when the cold jelly was squirted onto her stomach. Dizzy just grinned at her reaction and then concentrated on looking for any problems, she was slow and very efficient.

"Okay Hawk it looks like you are fine there is no damage anywhere and no problems. Now I am ordering you to rest for the next two days and I mean total bed rest which I know will be hard for you but to keep the baby safe you need to." Dizzy said looking pointedly at Biggs telling him that he needed to make sure that Hawk followed her orders.

"Will do doc." Biggs said lifting Hawk up off the bed and away. Dizzy just plopped down on an empty bed looking depressed.

"You alright there Dizzy?" Alec asked, suddenly the blonde burst into tears.

"I…want a computer I like computers." The girl sobbed.

"Oh." Alec said looking at Max for help.

"You really hate being a medic don't ya?" Max asked.

"No I just like computers I was made to use computers and I have not been near one and I miss it." Dizzy said.

"Well Dizzy you know that the meds here have not gotten medical records set up and if we had it all on a computer system and a file for each person keeping track of what has happened to them it would be helpful, why don't you set it up?" Max asked. Dizzy's eyes got really big she looked so happy.

"Really?" Dizzy asked.

"Really." Max said.

"Great I am going to go and get started." Dizzy said blurring out of the room.

"You know you just made her the happiest transgenic." Alec said putting his arms around Max's middle.

"Well I figured that since we are making her do something she hates that we can at least let her do the part of it that will make her happy." Max said.

"I love how your mind works." Alec said.

"Now daddy lets go get food." Max said leading Alec out of the medical building.

"As you wish my lady." Alec said.

"Oh you two are disgustingly sweet this morning." Mole grumbled from behind the couple.

"Hey we just found out we are having twins we are allowed to be mushy." Alec said.

"Twins? We are so screwed." Mole said walking away looking dejected.

"Hey!" The pair yelled.

"Why do people keep saying that?" Alec asked.

"I don't know but it is starting to get annoying." Max mumbled as they continued on their way to the mess hall.

The mess hall was alive and active with all the early risers of the city that was pretty much everyone since they were all trained at a young age to get up before the sun. Max and Alec went and took their usual seat with Joshua and the others.

"Morning." Max said hugging Josh and Gem she patted Dalton on the back and hugged Bubbles.

"Morning boss." Bubbles said.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Alec asked.

"Well princess, the wicked witch is supposed to return today, I hope she is okay." Mole mumbled the last part.

"She will be." Max whispered catching Mole's eye, she knew Mandy had started to grow on the big lizard.

"We will need to come up with a plan to eradicate this new enemy." Alec said.

"Lets face it peaches we are shooting blind on this one we have no idea what we are going up against here, how many and when they will hit." Mole said letting out a puff of smoke, Alec grabbed the cigar out of Mole's hands and put the offending object out in the lizard mans drink.

"No smoking around any pregnant females got it." Alec growled.

"Hey man that was a new cigar." Mole grumbled.

"Yeah well if you smoke around Max or any of the other pregnant females here in TC I will personally make you bleed and then give you Dizzy." Alec growled.

"Ouch man that would be mean of you." Dalton said.

"I mean it Mole we might be genetically superior and smoking might not harm us but there is not telling what it might do to our kids." Alec said.

"Alec, Max, Mandy and Karl are back." A young X6 said as he blurred into the mess hall.

"Oh how did she look?" Max asked as the people at the table got up.

"Well she looks like she did the last time I saw her." The boy said but Max and the others figured as much there was no way the girl was going to go into enemy territory looking miserable and sad it would be a weakness.

"Lets go she her." Max said and the group left for HQ. When they got there they saw Mandy sitting in a chair with her maroon hair down and loose around her shoulders, her hair was long. She was in dark blue jeans and a black tank top but what was different about her was the cold look in her eyes like the fire was put out.

"Hey." Alec said to the two as they approached.

"Hi." Mandy said giving them all a weak smile.

"We ah got the final body count from the boarding school…forty-nine." Karl whispered.

"I am so sorry." Gem whispered.

"Not as sorry as us, they were mostly teenagers, older students, who stayed behind to protect the younger ones and make sure they got out alright." Mandy said, Max could see the other girls lip tremble slightly. Max patted the other girl on the shoulder not really knowing what to do.

"The worst thing about it is that most of them I knew, I hung out with them I grew up with them, I mean I just graduated from school last year." Mandy whispered.

"Wow that is rough." Max said.

"Well what do you say we get down to business?" Mandy asked changing the subject and the others gladly went along with it knowing that anymore talk would make the other girl upset and that was not something they wanted to see.

"So anything new?" Max asked and Mandy nodded her head.

"Thula reported seeing some of the members here in Seattle last night in sector nine so I figured they had business in the area." Mandy said.

"Sector nine, that is mostly markets." Alec commented as Max pulled out a giant map of the state and put a red pin in sector nine.

"Any exact coordinates?" Mole asked from a table behind them, which held a map of just the city and its sectors.

"Yeah here." Karl said plotting the points.

"Do we know of any reason why they might have been in that area?" Max asked.

"I have done some trading down there but when I say it is mostly markets I mean it is all markets." Alec said.

"They could have been looking for information on TC after all they figure you have to get your food somewhere." Mandy said.

"What they do not realize is that we have an out of state dealer." Alec said.

"That is smart, we do that too expect we grow our own food out of state." Karl said.

"I guess our people are overly cautious." Alec said.

"Alec when it comes to your people you can never be too cautious." Mandy said.

"Wow for a teen you sure are mature." Alec said trying to laugh off the maroon haired girls words but it was impossible too, she was right.

"I have to be after all one day I will be looking after all my people." Mandy said.

"Wait you mean…" Max trailed off.

"One day I will be the head of the Conclave it is a given fact." Mandy said.

"Dang and here I thought we had it rough." Dalton muttered.

"There are more Familiars then you realize." Mandy said looking pointedly at Dalton.

"Like how many?" Mole asked.

"Thousands, we are all over the world." Mandy said.

"Wow." Was all anyone could say.

"So Max is having twins." Karl said to break the tension.

"My god, there really are two of them." Mole muttered.

"You idiot." Mandy snapped hitting Karl on the back of the head; Mole just shook his head at how unfair his world was.

"I get one witch off my back and another comes in to take her place." Mole muttered.

"Alright back on task here people, why would they be in that area?" Max asked.

"I say you send out a reconnaissance team and take a look around the areas where the people were spotted." Mandy said.

"Good idea, you think three teams of two?" Max asked and Mandy nodded, the two girls then pulled up the maps and walked away into Max's office leaving behind a stunned room.

"Did they just leave to go plan something together?" Alec asked with disbelief. Mandy stuck her head out the door looking agitated.

"Are you people coming or what?" Mandy asked and the others hurried into the room.


	12. Getting Closer and Moving Apart

**Hey guys thanks for the replies to the last part I love reading what all you have to say! Please let me know what you thinkn of this new part!**

Part 12 Getting Closer and Moving Apart

As the meeting in Max's office continued Alec could not help but notice how close Karl and Mandy were, sure they said there was nothing there but he could not help feeling that they were wrong. It was small things like how the two always knew what the other was thinking, and this look they would both get when talking to each other. Sure some of it could be chalked up to their telepathic abilities but he knew that there was something more.

"I need sleep." Alec groaned.

"Yeah that would be good." Mole said after being cooped up for hours on end they all wanted out of there.

"Yeah I am beat." Max said.

"You should not be working so hard." Mandy said.

"I know but there is a lot to do." Max said.

"Get her to bed." Mandy said glaring at Alec who quickly rushed Max out of the room. Soon only Karl and Mandy were left putting away everything.

"So how are you doing with the whole Nate thing?" Karl asked.

"I don't know I have not had much time to think about it really." Mandy admitted.

"I still can't believe they made you pick someone so quickly." Karl said.

"Yeah but hey at least Nate and I are friends other wise I would be in a world of trouble at the moment because I don't think I could spend my life with someone I did not trust." Mandy said.

"Do you really trust him?" Karl asked.

"Yes, but not as much as you." Mandy said.

"I understand that I mean the two of us have spent more time together over the years then we have with our own families. I trust you and you trust me that is why we work so well together, if there was no trust we would not be able to do half of the things we do." Karl said and Mandy nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, in some ways I think I just picked him because he is powerful, others because I will lose the least amount of children with him. Deep down though I can't shake the feeling that our being together is wrong and that I am meant to be with someone else." Mandy said.

"Why did the Conclave move to have you paired off so quickly?" Karl asked.

"No clue. I was sitting there and we were talking about my vision when all of the sudden they dropped it on me saying my current partner is incompetent and that I needed a new one." Mandy said sitting on top of the desk.

"Who were the choices?" Karl asked.

"Warrior breeding line and Conclave." Mandy said.

"Those the only options?" Karl asked.

"That I know of, why?" Mandy asked.

"I think we should talk to the Conclave and see if you can be paired with someone else I mean I really don't think Nate is a good match." Karl said.

"I don't think they will go back on their decision unless they have good reason to." Mandy said looking defeated she really did not want Nate but he was looking like her best option.

"Well what if I was put into the mix?" Karl asked.

"What?" Mandy asked.

"Think about it, the two of us are closer then close as it is it would not be hard for them to believe there is something going on between us I mean heck the transgenics even thought as much. What if we proposed that I am your new partner?" Karl asked.

"That would be great, but what about your girlfriend?" Mandy asked looking weary. Karl rolled his eyes.

"You said it yourself she is a ditz." Karl said giving her a pointed look. Mandy let out a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair.

"You do realize that if this works that we will have to get married and have kids right?" Mandy asked.

"Yes and I can live with that I mean I have known you for fifteen years and you are one of my best friends, besides I will lose less kids with you." Karl said.

"Still the others will be hard to convince, the telepathic line and the Conclave line are two very strict breeding lines crossing them is rarely done and with the state of things I don't know how willing they will be to cross them." Mandy said.

"It has been done before that should at least give us some hope." Karl said.

"I still don't understand why you are helping me." Mandy said her gray eyes searching Karl's.

"Mandy, I like you. Even the transgenics managed to pick up on that one." Karl muttered and Mandy smirked getting up off the desk and facing Karl who looked confused. She grabbed his head and kissed him gently.

"Well I guess it is a good thing that I like you too, but don't tell the freaks." Mandy said, Karl grinned and pulled Mandy in for another kiss.

Elsewhere in the city things were quite or at least somewhat quiet. Biggs rolled over in bed and looked at Hawk who was still sound asleep, he kept waking up every hour or so to check and make sure she was all right. He knew it was unnecessary because he would wake up when she did on instinct but he could not repress his animal instinct wanting to make sure his mate and kid were all right.

"Go to sleep Biggs." Hawk muttered.

"How did you know I was awake?" Biggs asked.

"I can feel you staring at me." Hawk grumbled turning over so she could see Biggs. Biggs looked guilty as he saw how tired she still was, he knew she was over stressed.

"Sorry I was just making sure you are alright." Biggs said.

"I am fine, just tired." Hawk said.

"Well I will let you get back to sleep, but I might not wake up as often if I had you right next to me." Biggs said Hawk moved closer and burrowed into his side like he wanted.

"Much better." Biggs said making Hawk laugh.

Across the hall Max and Alec were just settling into bed, they both looked so worn. Alec flopped onto the bed and pulled Max down next to him so that she was half on him and half off. Even though Alec was tired he started to rub Max's stomach making her purr softly, she moved her head under his neck; she nibbled it slightly and then closed her eyes enjoying her tummy rub.

"Alec I know I don't tell you this often, but I love you." Max whispered, Alec grinned.

"I love you to Max and our babies." Alec whispered kissing the top of Max's head.

"Alec, are you scared?" Max asked.

"Depends, about what?" Alec asked.

"About being parents and if we are going to screw them up like Manticore screwed us up. Also if we are going to win this war and how many of the people we love might not make it out?" Max asked.

"All of that terrifies me but the one thing that has me scared out of my mind is that I might lose you and our kids." Alec said, Max looked up at Alec, she kissed him soundly on the lips.

"I have no intention of going anywhere." Max whispered before laying back down.

"So great late night discussion." Alec said earning a laugh from Max.

"Night Alec." Max said.

"Night Maxie." Alec said.

A floor down from Max, Alec, Hawk, and Biggs Dalton and Gem were putting their baby down to sleep after she woke up for her feeding. Dalton was sitting on his bed watching as Gem pulled up a thin blanket over his daughter, he loved the sound of that. Gem puttered around the room making sure everything was set before they went to bed.

"She looks so sweet right now." Gem whispered sitting down next to Dalton.

"She always looks sweet." Dalton grinned at her.

"True but she is starting to pick up some of our bad habits." Gem grumbled she was referring to her daughter's habit of climbing out of her crib. She might only be a few months old but she was still a transgenic, which meant she was well advanced and was already causing trouble.

Dalton went to get up to head to his room but Gem pulled on his arm making him stop. She tugged harder on his arm and he came closer to her, she pulled him down next to her. Dalton smirked knowing what she wanted, he quickly pulled off his shirt and pants leaving him in his boxers and Gem changed into her panties and tank-top and she laid down next to him, he pulled her closer. He kissed her forehead and the two fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning TC was buzzing as usual in the early morning hours after all everyone in the city was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, even the familiars. Mandy was walking down one of the streets on her way to the command center, her hips swaying seductively. The males that saw her could not help but stare at her even if they had mates, she looked hot and dangerous which was an appealing combination. She strutted into the headquarters and made her way over to Mole. The lizard man was sitting at one of the computers with others standing around him, he did not seem to notice that the others moved away as Mandy approached him from behind. He suddenly found his chair spinning around and Mandy straddling his lap.

"Morning Mole." Mandy hummed.

"Wha what do you want?" Mole asked trying to move away from the girl who was in his face.

"I want to go on an errand today, is that alright?" Mandy asked.

"Ah sure." Mole said willing to do anything to get the girl away from him.

"Thanks now all I have to do is find Max and I am so out of here. Ames owes me breakfast and I intend to cash in on my treat…after all I had to baby-sit for him the last time we played poker." Mandy muttered heading over to Max's office. The others in the main room just stared at the feisty familiar having heard what she said.

"Come on in." Max said before Mandy even knocked on the door. The familiar rolled her eyes and strutted in.

"Hey Max I was wondering if I could go out this morning. Ames has to buy me breakfast." Mandy explained.

"Sure, but why does he have to buy you breakfast?" Max asked.

"Oh well the two of us play poker once a month with a bunch of our buddies and I won last time and now Ames has to buy me breakfast." Mandy said.

"Alright I am trying to picture White playing poker." Max said.

"Yeah seeing him in jeans and a T-shirt is scary let alone boxers." Mandy said.

"What?" Max asked her eyes wide.

"To make a long and painful story short, Ames was teaching at my school two years ago or more like subbing but anyway we decided to prank him and we put a ferret in him bed and he ran out of the room in his boxers and a wife beater looking for us. Apparently the thing peed in his bed and he was pissed at us." Mandy shuddered letting Max know that the image was not the only punishment.

"Alright just call if you run into any trouble." Max said and Mandy nodded before heading out. Mandy walked right out of the city away from the cameras and over to the waiting car.

"So Ames where are we going for breakfast?" Mandy asked.

"I am making it actually." Ames said.

"Great so which food did you put the arsenic in?" Mandy asked.

"All of it." Ames said.

"Funny, but you do realize we are immune to the poison." Mandy said.

"Damn I knew I forgot something." Ames said pretending to be put out. Mandy just laughed at him.

"Hey look at that." Mandy said pointing to the corner to the east of the toxic city. There hiding in the shadows was Logan with a pair of binoculars looking into the city.

"Oh is this guy serious. I thought getting the beating of his life was enough to convince him to stay away." Ames said looking disgusted.

"What do you say we play with him a little? I have been cooped up in that city with my enemy for days and had no way to relieve my stress, this might just help." Mandy said as the two silently exited the car and made their way over to Logan who did not see or hear them coming.

"Well look what we have here Ames, Logan." Mandy said putting an arm around Ames like a guy would to one of his old college buddies. Logan dropped his binoculars and backed away from the two that loomed over him. Ames moved out from under Mandy's arm and walked towards Logan leisurely.

"White." Logan ground out trying to act brave.

"If memory serves Cale, Max has moved on with her breeding partner." White said. Logan let out a bitter laugh.

"Did everyone know that the two were breeding partners except me?" Logan asked.

"Yes." The two chorused.

"How?" Logan asked.

"Easy, look at their files, their movements. Did you ever bother to stop and question how the two of them knew each other? I mean come on Max was in solitary most of her stay at Manticore and yet she left there knowing Alec well enough that she named him." Mandy said.

"Well she knew Joshua." Logan pointed out.

"You mean dog man well she apparently met him as she was looking fro a way to get out." White spat, he was still bitter about the fact that his father loved the dog boy more then him and his brother.

"So she could have met Alec the same way." Logan said.

"Right and she just happened to have enough time to name him as she was running for her life. Did you ever bother to stop and wonder why Max was in there for so long? They kept her in reconditioning extra long hoping that she would be compliment enough to get knocked up by Alec." Mandy said Logan just glared at the other girl.

"Just think about this Cale. While you were out here pinning for her thinking she was dead, Max was at Manticore screwing Alec's brains out creating a little one." White said egging Logan on and it worked as Logan suddenly or what he thought was suddenly lunged at White.

"You shut up that is not true, when Max was in there she was always thinking about me." Logan yelled, Mandy grinned as she yanked Logan off, a laughing White, by the collar of his jacket. Mandy appeared almost giddy as she circled Logan.

She first punched him in the nose making Logan let out a high girlish scream as his nose broke. Mandy then pushed Logan on the ground and put a foot on his chest to hold him down. "Okay first off did you really think you could hurt Ames? I mean come on the guy could kill you with his pinky. Second Max may have thought about you for awhile but then she saw Alec and all thoughts of you turned into hot steamy fantasies of Alec and his rock hard body and how when they are going at it the sweat just drips down his golden chest." Mandy said White looked at her.

"You hate the guy remember." White said.

"Yes but that does not mean he is not good looking for a freak." Mandy said.

"Well 452 I mean Max is kind of pretty." Ames said.

"Are you kidding Ames she is hot!" Mandy said.

"She hates you." Logan said.

"And we hate her." Ames said.

"But that does not mean we don't give credit where credit is due." Mandy said.

"Yeah to my father who created them." White grumbled.

"Max loves me, she told me that the entire time she was in that hell of a place that I was the only thing that kept her going, that the thought of getting out to see me was what kept her from going insane and made her fight so she could be with me." Logan said.

"Right because Max was not created to fight and survive." Mandy said.

"I know that deep inside Max still loves me and that Alec is somehow forcing her to be with him." Logan said.

"Does Max strike you as the kind of person to be forced into doing anything Ames?" Mandy asked.

"No I tried to force her once, and even with her in a big cage she would not do what I wanted her to." White said.

"Your sick." Mandy said.

"And your weird what can we do?" White asked neither of the two fazed by the insult.

"You two are like some weird science project." Logan said.

"No geek, your ex-girlfriend is the science project we are just part of the race that created her." Mandy said.

"I can't wait to tell Max that the two of you are really against her and that you familiars have not changed at all." Logan said looking like he had just won the lotto.

"Stupid norm, they already know, everyone in Terminal City knows we all hate each other still. We are merely working together to eradicate a common enemy. We both have been upfront about our mutual hate of each others existence." Mandy said.

"I bet they don't know you are outside the city, what are you two trying to come up with some way to kill off everyone?" Logan asked.

"No more like I am taking her out to breakfast after she beat me at poker." White said.

"Yeah and I told Max and Mole that Ames and I were going out to breakfast neither of them had a problem with it." Mandy said.

"You know what Mandy I think we should take Logan here with us and put him in a nice big cage." White said.

"When Max finds out what the two of you are doing she will kill you for hurting me." Logan said.

"Yeah right, she will thank us for this and kiss the ground we walk on." Mandy said.

"Max and the others hate you and I know that when they find out that you have me they will kill you and everyone in that freaky cult of yours." Logan said.

"Do I look like I care what you and the others think? Load him into the car Mandy we are going to take Mr. Cale here for a nice little ride." White said. Mandy dug her fit harder into Logan's chest cutting off his air-supply, soon the cyber journalist was unconscious and Mandy easily carried him into the back seat of the car.

"So where are we taking him?" Mandy asked.

"We are taking him to CJ the two of them can be roommates for awhile." White said letting out a bark like laugh.

"A mental institution, now why did I not think of that?" Mandy asked.

"Well since our people run the place it will be easy to get him admitted and kept under lock and key." White said.

"Very cool Ames." Mandy said.

"I aim to please." White said.

"Oh I'm sure." Mandy said as the two drove towards the mental hospital where White's brother CJ was currently staying. The two got out of the car and White roughly grabbed and unconscious Logan out of the back and the two headed into the gray building that had seen better days.

"Hi how may I help you?" A woman at the front desk asked she was in a white uniform but just below her shirt sleeve the two could see the mark of their cult.

"We have a drop off it seems Mr. Cale here has a slight delusion he seems to think that familiars and transgenics are real." Mandy said as she pulled up her shirtsleeve to reveal the mark of the Conclave, the other woman bowed before her.

"Brother White it is good to see you and you my lady." The woman said as she motioned for a man to take Logan from White.

"Good to see you sister Parks." Mandy said.

"Cale is causing trouble and not just for familiars but for the transgenics as well they have been trying to get him out of their hair for awhile now. He is the man that killed Cherish." White said the woman sent a venomous glare towards Logan's unconscious body.

"We needed her." The woman said.

"We changed the plans. Keep him here and try to convince him that he has been locked up here since the pulse and that none of us are real, I know you can do it." Mandy said.

"As you wish." The woman said. The two left right after Logan was put into patient clothes and moved into his new cell. Then the two headed back to White's house for breakfast.

Back in Terminal City the residents were all up and active and training for the mission ahead, or more like being briefed. Alec watched as the units took in all of the information, being a CO had allowed him to know when others were either lost or understanding and it appeared that the two units before him were very clear about their mission. Alec watched as Max explained things in detail, he knew that if she had not escaped when she was younger that she would have become CO and not Zack. Zack was too narrow minded built more for taking orders then giving them, Max could think on her feet and looked at a problem from different angles. It made him smirk seeing how everyone naturally followed her, it was inborn in them to follow chain of command and for them Max and Alec were like the CO's of the CO's, the leaders of the leaders.

"Everyone understand?" Max asked looking each person in the eye, she was doing what Alec had been previously doing and it stunned him knowing that she knew to do that.

"Good, go rest up and prepare for the mission. Be back here at the specified time." Max said and the others left, he noticed how a few had almost saluted to her.

"You keep on surprising me Max." Alec said as he pulled her closer to him wrapping his arms around her middle.

"How so?" Max asked.

"Well when I first saw you at Manticore I thought you were just another foot solider who was bummed about having to take orders from others. It was when you tried to escape that I saw okay so maybe you were a second in command or something because you had no problem giving orders. Then it was during the siege on Jam Pony when I really saw that you were a CO. But now watching you with the two units I see that you are not just any CO you are equal if not higher rank then me which means that you are like a CO of CO's the leader of leaders." Alec said.

"You know it is funny because Lydecker and Renfro both told me that. They said that Zack was a good CO but not great, he was all brawn and no brains. They told me I was going to make CO if I had stayed that I was the better CO." Max said.

"You are Maxie you just don't realize it. Others listen to you and look to you for guidance. Heck even I listen to you and I listen to no one." Alec said.

"I feels natural to lead Alec." She admitted.

"Yeah and for us it feels natural to follow you." Alec said giving Max a sound kiss.

"So where is that familiar?" Alec asked and Max knew whom he was talking about.

"Mandy went out to breakfast with White." Max said watching Alec's jaw drop.

"What? Why?" Alec finally asked.

"Something about her winning a poker game." Max said.

"Now onto business here Max, now before you rip my head off let me talk. I think I should be the one to go on the mission today and not you. You are pregnant Max and this thing could go sour and I don't want you in the crossfire." Alec said he could see Max was ready to argue.

"Alec I can take care of myself." Max said.

"I know you can but who have no idea how the enemy fights so you will be putting the babies at risk." Alec tried a different approach.

"Fine I will stay behind." Max relented. Alec let out a huge sigh of relief and pulled Max closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks." Alec said.

"No thank you for thinking about me and the tw twi twins." Max stuttered kissing Alec.

"Its what I do Maxie." Alec said. A knocking at the door brought the two back to earth and the situation at hand.

"Come in." Max said as her and Alec pulled apart.

"Hey guys." Biggs said coming into Max's office.

"Hey man, how's Hawk doing?" Alec asked.

"She is fine, angry that she still has to stay in bed, but the docs think she needs a few more days bed rest. Dizzy came by this morning to check up on her and apparently Hawk and the baby are doing better but not as well as Dizzy would like." Biggs said his years of Manticore training allowed him to cover up his fear for Hawk and his kid but Alec and Max could sense it, it was part of being a good CO meant that they knew what the other members of their unit were feeling.

"She will be okay, she is and X6 she is made of tough genes and so is your kid. They need to take it easy for awhile and let the rest of us pick up her duties so she does not feel pressured or stressed." Max said trying not to be all mushy about it knowing that X5's or X series in general don't respond well to touchy feely moments.

"Thanks Max." Biggs said.

"She is right we are not going to let Hawk get any worse because of stress, I am sure others are willing to step up and take over some of her work." Alec said.

"Hawk will feel better about that." Biggs said.

"Biggs why don't you go spend the morning with her?" Max asked.

"Ah she ah kicked me out of the apartment and told me to go make myself useful." Biggs said scratching the back of his neck.

"Let me guess you were bugging her." Max said and Biggs nodded.

"Don't worry man when I crowd Max she tells me to shove off." Alec said putting his arm around his best friend and the two left Max's office and Max.

"Is Max ever snippy?" Biggs asked.

"Ah Biggs we are talking about Max here." Alec said.

"So that was like asking if a cat hates water?" Biggs asked.

"Yes." Alec said.

"No I mean is she even more surly now that she is pregnant?" Biggs asked.

"At times she is unpleasant but then at times she is a lot nicer." Alec said.

"I am not saying Hawk is mean or anything I mean it could just be that I was crowding her." Biggs said.

"Biggs man most pregnant women are moody, just try and stay out of her way and yet be there for her. It is hard to explain but you remember our training for when we had to get close to a target but not make it look like we are trying to get close to them. How we had to hug the shadows but allow ourselves to be seen?" Alec asked.

"Yeah I get what you mean." Biggs said with a grin.

"Who knew Manticore training would help us with our pregnant mates." Alec said.

"I don't think they were exactly planning for their soldiers to have families." Biggs said.

"Not until they put us in the breeding program." Alec said. The two X5's stopped when they saw Karl coming down the street he looked different somehow but they could not say what the difference was.

"Hey man where you headed?" Alec asked.

"HQ, Mandy should be back soon from breakfast after that we need to train. You want to join us?" Karl asked.

"Sure, is it different then the demonstration you two did for us?" Alec asked.

"Much different." Karl said.

"How so?" Biggs asked.

"Well we focus more on strength and breaking the threshold of our pain resistance." Karl said.

"Wait I thought you all felt no pain." Biggs said.

"Well that is true for physical pain, but we do feel mental pain which is what we try and fix. Most of the members of the Conclave don't feel mental pain, you could be frying their brains and they would not feel any pain but they would know what was happening." Karl said.

"What is Mandy's mental pain threshold?" Alec asked.

"Lets put it this way, if you were to take a needle and poke a familiar in the arm would they feel it?" Karl asked.

"No, most people don't feel needle pokes so a familiar would feel nothing." Biggs said.

"Well when all of the telepaths send mental blasts at her that needle poke is what she feels, almost nothing if anything at all. The entire Conclave has sent mental blasts at her and she was un-phased by it." Karl said.

"So basically she never feels any pain." Alec said.

"Right." The other two just shook their heads.

"So what else do you do?" Alec asked.

"Well we work on muscle tone and stealth mostly and other odds and ends." Karl said.

"Ah this might sound like a stupid question but can other people learn this pain resistance or is it only a familiar thing?" Biggs asked.

"I am not entirely sure on that one myself because some familiars never fully master the pain resistance only to a certain extent. I think that if a person has enough mental strength they might be able to get the basics of the pain resistance down but to get to our level of it I don't think is possible. It took me six years to even get the basics down and then to get where Mandy is would take me a lifetime to do and even then I don't think I will ever reach her level." Karl said.

"So you have no idea if we could learn this?" Biggs asked.

"Maybe the younger ones could but you guys I don't think so. Familiars learn at a young age because your mind is the most open and easier to mold, the older you are the harder it is to learn." Karl said.

"Hey boys, that witch is back." Mole grunted the three looked at him confused.

"Mandy." Mole said.

"Oh great." Karl said suddenly disappearing, the other two stood there for a second before they blurred to HQ. There they saw Karl and Mandy in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh it was terrible Karl, he cooked for me there were eggs and bacon and sausage and all of my favorites." Mandy said.

"There, there it is over now." Karl said patting the girl on the head.

"What?" Mole asked.

"Ames he cooked for me and it was good. I mean we talked and did not try and kill each other it was like a scene out of that old show the Twilight Zone." Mandy said.

"Well now you are back and everything is alright." Karl said.


	13. Making Him Crazy

Part 13 Making Him Crazy

"Alright where is Max I have something major to tell her and you all will want to hear this." Mandy said. The three males just stared at her with blank looks.

"I am right here." Max said coming out of her office, she pulled on her red tank top to un-bunch it.

"Great wait till you hear my news, pull up a seat everyone." Mandy said. The others took a seat shooting each other a questioning look.

"Alright what is it?" Alec asked.

"Okay so as Ames and I were leaving to head to his place today we saw someone in the shadows on the east side. The two of us got out of the car and we saw it was Logan." Before Mandy could say anymore Alec's outraged cry cut her off.

"What! Where is he I want to see him." Alec said standing up his normally calm persona shattered.

"Well to do that you would have to check the local psychiatric hospital." Mandy said flooring the others.

"What?" Max asked.

"Well Ames and I had a little talk with Logan and well he was being mean so we decided to take him to the familiar run hospital and he was admitted. Get this right now the doctors are working on getting him to think that these past few years have all been a figment of his imagination." Mandy said with an evil grin.

"How could you do this I mean what if he accidentally lets out our secrets?" Max asked.

"Not to worry the place is run by familiars and he is in solitary confinement for the time being and then he will be moved into a room with CJ." Mandy said Max suddenly squealed and hugged Mandy.

"Oh this is perfect he is under constant watch and away from me!" Max said. Biggs and the others looked at the scene with fear.

"Please tell me that was the hormones because I never want to hear Max squeal again." Biggs said.

"Normally when she squeals it is cute but this was just…not." Alec said.

"Oh shove it." Max growled.

"That was more like it." Alec said.

"Now if you will excuse me Karl and I have to train." Mandy said grabbing the other familiar she seemed a little overzealous. Dalton came strolling into HQ just as the other two were leaving, the blonde sent a confused look at their retreating forms, and they were grinning ear to ear.

"Hey guys, what is up with the familiars?" Dalton asked.

"They are going to train, Biggs and I are going to check it out later." Alec said.

"Somehow I get the impression that training is not the only thing they will be doing." Dalton said.

"What?" Alec asked.

"Please the two of them looked like transgenics in heat." Dalton said.

"WHAT!" Alec asked looking as if he was thrown in a pool of ice. Max was trying desperately not to laugh.

"Oh please don't you ever use your nose?" Max asked Biggs and Alec stared at her in confusion.

"Guys, his scent is all over her and her scent is all over him. The two of them have no idea that we can smell them." Dalton said.

"Wait so the two of them are fooling around?" Biggs asked.

"Yes." Max and Dalton said.

"OMG there really are two of them." Biggs said looking horrified.

"Two of who?" Alec asked.

"Two Max's I mean Mandy is practically Max in a maroon haired chicks body." Biggs said.

"He does have a point." Dalton said ducking as Max swung at him.

"Whatever so what are we going to do with this new location of Logan's? I mean come on Max we can mess with the guy really bad if we wanted." Alec looked almost giddy at the prospect of causing pain to the man who used to have his mates heart.

"I don't know Alec, in a way I want to make him suffer for all the crap he has put me through but at the same time I can't bring myself to make him even more loony tunes then he already is." Max said.

"Loony Tunes?" Biggs asked.

"Oh sorry it was a pre-pulse cartoon." Max explained.

"Come on Maxie its not like it will harm the guy any." Alec said.

"True, alright when Mandy gets back from her "thing" I will see if there is a way we can mess with him." Max said.

"Great, now lets go to the gym I need to get rid of some energy." Biggs said as he and Alec raced out the HQ. Max just looked at Dalton, the two shook their heads at how one minute the two could be serious soldiers and then the next kids in a candy store. The two transgenics got up and made their way to the gym, but at a more subdued pace.

When the two got there they saw Alec on his back looking as if he had the wind knocked out of him and Biggs looked at his friend in fear. "I am so sorry man I thought you were ready." Biggs said.

"Yeah well it was my fault for not being prepared, its okay man." Alec said the two men hugged.

"I love you man." Max said with fake tears in her eyes as she hugged Dalton who played along.

"No girl I love you more." Dalton fake sobbed. Alec and Biggs looked at the two before they started laughing.

"Now that was funny." Alec said punching Dalton in the arm as he pulled Max into a hug.

"Gee if the world could see you at this moment they would think of you guys in a whole new light." Mandy said from the doorway. The others turned around surprised having not heard her and Karl come up behind them. The two looked completely normal and not like a pair that just well you know.

"So ready to train?" Karl asked.

"Lets go!" Mandy said walking into the large room, she took a seat in the center of the room and sat indian style and closed her eyes, the others half expected her to start say omm.

"Are you all waiting for a personal invitation or are you going to join me here?" Mandy asked and the others all scurried over to her. Mandy opened her eyes and looked at the others.

"Now Max there are some parts that might be too intense for you at the moment, and I would prefer you to step back when the time comes at least until I talk to that blonde medic about your threshold and if it would harm you or not. I have no doubt that you can do this but there is no telling if those things, sorry babies can handle it." Mandy said as Karl took his place in front of her. Max nodded in understanding.

"Alright, first we will work on mind shields and strengthening yours." Karl said.

"What?" Biggs asked.

"Mandy and I are able to break into your minds and some other familiars can as well. You all have mental shields against verbal and physical penetration but you don't stand a chance against a real telepath, those psy ops series were able to get to you all because your mental shield against that sort of attack is practically non existent." Karl said.

"Like this." Mandy said suddenly looking at Dalton.

_Dalton you think Max is hot don't you?_

_**No. She is nice looking but not hot.**_

Dalton I am kidding here I am just trying to show you how easy it is to get into your head, now think about how much damage I could do to you.

"Wow!" was all the teen could say. The others looked at the two in confusion.

"What?" Max asked.

"She broke into my mind and started talking to me as if it was a normal occurrence." Dalton said not knowing if he if he should be impressed or terrified.

"How? Manticore taught us to bloke these attacks?" Alec asked.

_Not my attacks._ Her voice echoed through their heads, Biggs winced at the intrusion it stung a little.

"Oh I am impressed." Mandy said turning to Biggs and Max.

"What?" Max asked.

"The two of you tried to block me, you felt it, almost like a small sting. That was you trying to stop me." Mandy said.

"Most can't do that on their first try." Karl said.

"Now tell me what was your reaction when you felt me enter your mind?" Mandy asked the two.

"I wanted you out." Max stated.

"Good, Biggs?" Mandy asked.

"I wanted to get you out." Biggs said.

"Right, first lesson is that when someone enters your mind think about how badly you want them out, not about why you want them out but about how you want them out. It is a hard concept but think of it like this. When Biggs and Max did not want me in their minds they wanted to kick me out so in my mind I felt a small push." Mandy said and she went over to Alec and pushed him slightly.

"My push was not enough to stop you, all it did was alert you to my resistance." Mandy said.

The lesson went on for three hours and by the end Max was able to gently push someone out of her mind and she has a small shield up. Alec has a stronger shield but he has not been able to push someone out of his mind, and Biggs was the same as him. Dalton did well, he had no shield up but he was able to shove people out of his mind.

"Now are any of you up for a little sparing?" Karl asked and Mandy was jumping up and down in her excitement.

"I am." Dalton said.

"Sorry we have to get back to command." Alec said motioning to him and Max.

"Yeah I have to go check on Hawk, by now she will probably want to kill me." Biggs said as the three left leaving Dalton with the two familiars.

"Cool I wanted to work with you anyway I have not seen an X6 fight." Mandy said as her and Dalton to their fighting stance as Karl leaned against the wall to observe.

Mandy made the first move as she tried to kick the teens legs out from under him but he easily blocked her leg. The two started off slow, throwing kicks and punches but nothing fancy. Soon the two started to speed up and there was less circling now and fancier moves were put into use. Mandy used a spinning hook kick followed by a whip kick, both of which landed. Dalton then did a b-spin followed by a head kip and a body flare. Mandy was angry that the last one landed so she went at him with a 900 hook which made his head snap after she did her three rotations in the air and then delievered her hook. The fight went on like this for awhile, the two of them increasing the intricacy of their moves as they went along, some of them were even made up by the end. Mandy landed almost all of her hits and surprisingly so did Dalton. The two went for as long as they could, an hour and a half stright and at the end the two were on the ground dead tired.

"Oh I have not done that since Manticore." Dalton groaned rubbing his arms and legs.

"You feel pain, I will help you get past that." Mandy said getting up looking tired, but fine.

"Amazing, I feel like I was hit by a bus and here you are looking as if you feel nothing." Dalton said.

"I do feel nothing. Remember no pain." Mandy said helping Dalton off the ground.

"Lets get him to the medical building they might have a balm or something to help him out." Karl said and the two helped Dalton to the medical building. The two familiars knew that walking into the medical building with a battered X6 was not going to look good but oh well.

"Okay what happened?" Dizzy asked taking Karl's place and she led her friend over to the table and helped him up.

"We were sparing and well we got a little carried away." Dalton said wincing as he took off his shirt.

"Damn." The blonde medic took one look at him and quickly got to work, Mandy tried to sneak away but Dizzy would not let her.

"Hold it, get on the other table. I know you don't feel pain but you are a girl and I know that you are going to bruse catch my drift?" Dizzy asked. Mandy relented and sat on the other table and pulled off her shirt revealing already forming welts and bruses, she did not look as Dalton who was already turning funny colors which since he was a transgenic meant he was beaten badly.

"How long did you two spar?" Dizzy asked.

"An hour and a half, maybe a little over." Dalton said as Dizzy put numerous balms on him he groaned at the rancid smell of some of them.

"Oh suck it up." Dizzy said.

"You try fighting her for that long!" Dalton snarled.

"Hey give him credit most don't last one round with me when it comes to sparing, I am impressed that he did so well. He really knows how to fight." Mandy said she noticed Dizzy looking at Dalton with…pride.

"Dalton your done, rest here for awhile and then you can go, the injuries you sustained will go away within the next day or two." Dizzy said she then went over to Mandy who was waiting impaciently on the other table, her bruses already starting to fade.

"Well it looks like you will not need anything for the bruses or cuts but I want to make sure nothing is broken." Dizzy said she quickly checked over the other girl and was stunned to see she was almost healed.

"Okay you can go." Dizzy said confused as to how she was able to heal as fast as she did.

"I am a member of the Conclave, it has its perks." Was all she said before her and Karl left the medical building. Dizzy turned back to Dalton who looked disgruntled about something.

"What?" She asked.

"Something bugs me about our spar." He admitted.

"What?" She asked.

"She held back, a lot I could tell. I was giving it my all and she had to hold back. I am a walking bruse and she is almost completely healed." Dalton said.

"Dalton I think she is far more powerful then we have realized." Dizzy admitted.

"We have to worry Dizzy. When I fought her I sensed that the power she was holding back was raw power, firce and deadly. I know that if she were to ever let go completely she could do serious damage and not just a few bodies I am talking on a masacur scale here." Dalton said.

"When we are done with this new enemy we are going to be back on the bad side of the familiars." Dizzy said.

"I know and the scary part is I don't think we have seen half of what they can do. If my observations are correct, Mandy has just showen us parlor tricks and her real power is far worse then we can imagine." Dalton said.

"I think we need to watch them more closely and see if we can find some other hint as to what they really can do." Dizzy said.

"Agreed." Dalton said.

Biggs had made his way to Hawks apartment right after he left the training building. He was nervous wondering if she was in a good or bad mood and how angry she was with him at the moment. He knew that he would be angry if he found out he could not do much and had to stay in bed. To his utter surprise Hawk had been asleep apparently she had slept most of the time he was gone, which he guessed was a good thing since she had not been sleeping much before. When she woke up he had a meal prepared for her and he was happy to see her eat plenty.

"So how do you feel?" Biggs asked gently.

"Tired, stiff, and a little queasy." She said looking glum.

"Sorry." Biggs said but to his surprise she just smiled at him.

"Not your fault." She said letting out a tired sigh.

"I want to take a nap with you." He blurted out, not at all embaressed though.

"Alright, it would be nice." She said and made room for him on the small bed. Since the bed was small the two and to get very close. Hawk laid her head on his chest and he pulled her so 

that she was half on him, he could feel that she was tense so he rubbed soothing circles on her back and he slowly felt her tension ease away.

"Thanks for staying with me Biggs." Hawk murmered into his chest, she lifted her head up and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. Biggs pulled her face up closer to his and he kissed her again tenderly rubbing the side of her face kissing her again. The two stayed that way for a while kissing, it was sweet and simple and had the desired effect on Hawk, she calmed down.

An hour later Biggs woke up when he sensed Hawk had woken up. He looked down and he noticed that she was almost completely on top of him now and she had her head right over his heart. She was laying still like she was still asleep but her breathing was less even so he knew she was awake. He knew he did not need to alert her that he was awake because his breathing was less even now.

"You should be heading back to HQ." She said after a few minutes of the two of them just laying there.

"I know, but I don't want to leave you here." Biggs said.

"Well you have to, the mission will be soon." She said and Biggs nodded knowing he had to leave. He could sense that she was upset about something but he chose not to push her knowing she was not the happiest person at the moment.

"I will see you later alright." Biggs said giving her one last kiss before he left her apartment. He nodded at her roommate as he left letting her know that he was leaving Hawk in her hands, the other X6 nodded in understanding.

Biggs walked into the command center of Terminal City feeling well rested and ready to work the mission with Max. The two of them were going to be linked to the others earpieces during the mission so they could in a sense bark out orders and plot the course of where the teams had travled. In a way the two of them were the brains of the operation keeping everyone focused and on task, telling them what to do and keeping them safe. They were going to hack into the hoverdrones and watch for any danger the others might not see.

"Okay people we are almost set get to your vehicles." Max commanded as Biggs put on his earpiece and he stood beside her. When the others left she gave him a quick smile and then the two of them went to work. The two watched the monitors and listened to their feeds. So far things were going smoothly the teams began their sweeps at oppisite ends and worked their way towards the common point, from there they would move and each team would re scoute the area of another team. They had to be efficient with this mission because the survival of two races were depending on them.

"Alpha team report." Biggs said.

"Area is clean, over." Alec relayed.

"Beta team report." Max said.

"We are tracking a group of three men, we heard them talking earlier. They were talking about a plan. We will relay more later, over." The Beta team leader said.

"Be careful Beta team. Alpha team Gamma team and Delta team be on alert potentonal threats are in the vincinity." Max said. The people in the command center went into action, several people cleared out so that the others could concentrate while others went to their stations and went to work. Mole put out his cigar and focused on his monitor of a local security camera.

"Max we have them on camera B2." Rex said.

"Keep an eye on them and check the roofs around them, any movement alert them." Max instructed.

"Gamma team check in." Biggs said.

"This is Gamma team we are just leaving a heavily populated area, no sign of anything unusual, over." Gamma team leader said.

"Delta team report." Max said.

"This is Delta team we have a group of men at a market stand heavily armed. They are not in the trade so they are possible threats, over." Alec relayed.

"Keep an eye on them." Biggs said.

"I have Delta team on camera B7." JB said.

"Max walked over and stood behind the tec and looked at the monitor. There was a small group of men standing next to a fruit stand. It looked like a group of guys just talking but upon closer inspection Max could see the guns they had in their waist bands and a few even had knifes hidden in their pants, humans would not be able to see them but as a transgenic she could.

"They are packing, nothing too heavy, looks like short distance guns and a few knifes." Biggs said and Max nodded in agreement.

The rest of the mission went like this where the teams would watch the other men and learn all they could. Beta team was able to follow some of the men to a car which the Beta leader was able to place a tracker on the car.

"Alpha team is moving out over."

"Beta team is moving out over."

"Gamma team is moving out over."

"Delta team is moving out over."

"HQ hears you, head on home." Max said.

"Well that went well." Mole said looking up from the ma where finished plotting all of the points where the teams had seen the potental enemies. After following both groups it was agreed that they were the enemy. With the plant on the car they could look futher into their latest development.

Max went over and looked at the large map that was spread out. "I wonder why they were in this area though, there are no warehouses in the area only markets." Max said.

"True, but like we thought earlier they might be thinking that we go there for food I mean they know that we have to eat." Biggs said.

"You would think that they would have realized that we are too smart to do something like that, we use out of country suppliers." Mole said.

"JB, keep an eye on them with Rex, make sure they get back here alright." Max said, the two nodded.

"So how is Hawk?" Max asked Biggs as they sat down at a nearby table resting after having been on their feet the entire mission.

"Tired and she does not feel well. I am worried about her though I mean her place is so far from mine I feel tense all the time. Is it wrong that I want her to stay at my apartment?" Biggs asked.

"No, talk to her about it, tell her that you would feel better with her closer to you. I know it would work on me and I am as stubborn as an ox." Max said with a smile.

"Thanks Max." Biggs said.

"Have you talked to Dizzy yet?" Max asked.

"No, I have been to busy. I was going to stop by after my shift here, earlier today though she said she was not doing as well as she would like, but I am hoping that with all the rest from today she will be doing better." Biggs said.

"She is going to be tired for awhile, I know I am and I have shark DNA." Max said.

"Wonder why?" Biggs asked.

"Acording to the docs around here it is normal for a female to be tired when she is pregnant and since our pregnancies are so much faster then a norms our bodies use up more energy during the pregnancy so we are more tired then usual." Max explained.

"It is just weird I mean we are these super humans it is a little unsettling to see you females off." Biggs said.

"Trust me when I say it is like ten times worse for us. We are used to being able to jump off buildings and fighting all the time and taking all of these risks when all of the sudden we are told we can't do any of those things because it will hurt our offspring. Then there is our mates who are there hovering over us telling us we can't do a thing." Max rambled, she looked ready to cry.

"Oh no Max I am sorry I made you upset, your right us males have no idea what you all are going through." Biggs said patting Max on the back which seemed to only set her off. Suddenly the feared leader of Terminal City was sitting in the middle of HQ sobbing her heart out.

"Oh shit." Was all Biggs could say.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Mole asked looking alarmed.

"I was talking to her and then this happened." Biggs said.

"Um guys get her to stop crying now!" Rex yelled.

"Why?" Mole asked.

"Because Alec's team just arrived." JP said looking ready to cry himself. They all knew that if Alec saw Max crying he would go mental on them. It was too late though because Max was still sobbing and Alec had just entered the building with his team. Alec took one look at Max and he blurred over to her.

"Baby what is it?" Alec asked pushing Biggs and Mole out of his way.

"Oh Alec." Max said as Alec pulled her into his arms, Max buried her head into his chest as she continued to sob. Alec looked at the other two and even Mole flinched at the furious glare he sent their way.

"Come on baby lets get out of here." Alec said and he lifted Max into his arms seeing that she was too upset to do much of anything let alone walk. Alec blurred with Max in his arms all the way back to their apartment all the way he was fighting the urge to turn around and kill Biggs and Mole for making Max cry, even if they did not make her cry they clearly were not getting her to stop which only made it worse. Max should not be this upset in her condition so the fact that his two friends made his mate cry was bad but the fact that his babies were in danger it made him see red.

When Alec entered the apartment he set Max down on the bed right away. "Baby tell me what is wrong." Alec said kissing her forehead. Max looked up at him through her tears which only tugged harder at his raging emotions.

"They don't understand how hard it is for us females to be pregnant. We have to be so careful and renounce our ways almost completely. We can't fight and we aren't supposed to do anything stressful and we are always tired, hungry, and I feel really sick." Max said laying down on the bed, she curled up in a ball and continued to sniffle.

"Max no male not even I will get how you and the other females feel and we never will. You females are going through something major and we have no idea what that is like." Alec said uncurling her, he pulled her closer.

"It's not Biggs's fault we were talking and all of the sudden I started to cry, he did try and get me to stop." Max said eventually after she calmed down a little. She was still sniffling slightly and clung tightly to Alec who was happy to hold her tightly. Alec let out a sigh he did have to admit that he felt better now knowing he did not have to kill his best friend for making his mate cry.

"Okay." Alec said kissing her forehead.

"I sensed how upset you were when you brought me home you looked ready to kill Biggs and Mole." Max said.

"I was. When I came into HQ and saw you crying I wanted to rip the two next to you apart." Alec admitted.

"Now you don't have to kill your best friend." Max said.

"Right." Alec said.

"I am better now I think we should get back to HQ." Max said standing up. Alec got up and pulled Max closer to him and he kissed her gently on the lips and Max responded enjoying the feeling.

Max wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on the balls of her feet as she deepened the kiss. Alec was only too happy to continue to kiss her, reluctantly the two pulled away after a few minutes. "I guess we should get out of here now." Alec said and Max nodded and the two finally left. The two did not hurry back to HQ but they did not dawdle either.

When the two walked in Biggs and Mole were instently on their feet and rushed over to their two leaders. "Max I am so sorry that I made you cry." Biggs said.

"You did not make me cry Biggs, I just started crying for some reason." Max said and she could see Biggs visibly relaxed as did Mole.

"Lets go over the mission reports." Max said leading the way to her office.

"I ah did not write mine." Alec said looking guilty.

"That is because you were with me, go write it please." Max said giving him a smile. Max, Mole, Biggs, JB, and Rex all sat down and went over the mission reports very so often voicing comments. The mission was a success and yet a failure at the same time. They did not know what the enemy was up to but they were able to put a tracking device on them.

"Here is my report." Alec said handing it to Biggs and Max. The two X5's went over the report throuly and saw that it was the same as the others.

"Thanks Alec. Good job everyone we will work on this more tomorrow. Mole can you go and get Dix and have him keep track of the cars movements. Tell him to track it on Map H1." Max said, the lizard man nodded and got up and left Max's office. The others left after him.

"Biggs man stay we need to talk." Alec said closing the door so that it was only the two guys and Max.

"Okay boys we know that Mandy and White put Logan into the ah hospital if you will. Now I have been thinking this over and I think we need to get back at Logan for all of the crap he has put us through. It is because of him that Cherish and." Max stopped not wanting to go on.

"He caused our friends deaths." Biggs said trying not to lash out and go marching over and kill Logan.

"Thanks. So I was thinking we need to mess with him, make him think that this whole two and a half years has all been in his head." Max said with a vicious smirk.

"I love the way she thinks." Biggs was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey I love all of her so I win." Alec said, Max just rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"So Max how do we go about convincing Logan that he is crazy?" Biggs asked.

"Simple, think Manticore and our class on interigating hostiles." Max said.

"Oh I know what she is getting at, Alec think back to our mission in Nevada." Biggs said Alec suddenly grinned.

"Maxie you are wicked." Alec said.

"Well I try." Max said sitting on her desk.

"Lets go and put this together." Alec said.

Across TC at the medical building Dalton was getting ready to leave finally. "Hey man you still here?" Fickle asked.

"Yeah I wanted some of the bruses to go away before I went home, I don't want Gem to worry." Dalton said.

"Understandable, how are the wounds?" Fickle asked.

"Almost all healed enough so that Gem will not worry." Dalton said lifting his shirt slightly to show how he was almost completely healed.

"Alright you can go she will not worry too much." Fickle said.

"Ah who are we kidding she will worry a lot." Dalton said walking out of the room followed by a laughing Fickle.

"That she will man but can you blame her? You got beat up by a familiar." Fickle said.

"No we were sparing and I hit her pretty well too." Dalton defended.

"I know man it was just weird, I mean I just saw her a few minutes ago and she looked perfect and not at all like she was in a fight." Fickle said.

"Man and here I am still battered and I feel like I was hit by a truck." Dalton said.

"Well just don't let Gem know how bad you feel." Fickle said and with that Dalton left.

Max, Alec, and Biggs quickly made their way to find Mandy and Karl and get their help and well they needed the location of Logan from Mandy. Max rapped on the door dressed up in her getup. The three decided to pretend that they were friends of Logans and they were going to wing it from there. Mandy opened the door "Hey guys what can we do for you?" Mandy asked, in the background the three could see Karl pulling on a black wife-beater, Alec had to bite his lip to stop from smirking.

"We were wondering if you could take us to Logan, we want to drive him crazy." Biggs said. Mandy's face lit up like a pumkin on Halloween.

"Oh I could so do that! I love making people crazy! Lets go." Mandy said dragging Karl behind her. The three transgenics all hurried behind her as she ran towards the front of the city.

"So anyone got a car we can take?" Mandy asked while she was running.

"Yeah there is one in the parking structure we can take." Max said as the group entered the building Alec led the way over to the van.

"OHH can I drive?" Mandy asked.

"NO!" Karl yelled looking scared.

"Why not?" Biggs asked.

"Because she is a scary driver and kills almost every living thing in the car with her!" Karl said.

"I'll drive." Alec said getting into the drivers seat Mandy pouted a little but got into the back seat with Karl and Biggs while Max sat up front with Alec. Mandy gave him the directions and Alec made his way out of TC toward the hospital through a secret back enterence. It did not take long for the small group to reach the mental hospital.

"So everyone knows the plan?" Max asked.

"Of course we do, no one in this car has an IQ lower then 133 so I think it is safe to assume that we know the plan." Mandy said with a smirk, Max went to smack her but she ducked and Max ended up hitting Alec.

"Great I didn't even do anything and I get hit." Alec said with a smirk. Mandy got out first and the others followed her inside, they could tell that the two familiars knew the place well.

"Fe'nos tol sister Harding." Mandy said.

"Fe'nos tol sister Denton. What can I help you with?" She asked.

"We need to see Logan Cale." Mandy said.

"The ideot in isolation that you and brother White put here?" The receptionest asked.

"That is the one." Mandy said.

"We want to have some fun with him." Karl said.

"About time, the guy has gotten on everyone's nerves." The other female familiar said leading the way to Logans' room.

"You ready?" Mandy asked Alec, Max, and Biggs.

"Oh yeah." Alec said. The familiar on duty opened the isolation room and let the five people into the small room. There was Logan on a bed, when he saw the group enter he imedietly came over to them.

"Oh Max, thank God you came to get me, that wack job and his slut locked me in here." Logan said. Alec had to bite his tongue to not laugh at Karl holding back an angry Mandy.

"Logan you were placed in here by the state they thought you were a danger to yourself and others." Max said in a soothing voice.

"No that freak Mandy and White put me in here." Logan said.

"My brother and I did not place you in here Logan." Mandy said.

"What is she doing here?" Logan asked.

"Logan I have been friends with you for years, you and my brother Ames are best friends. You were his best man at his wedding to Wendy." Mandy said putting on a hurt look.

"I would never be friends with a murder like White and he killed Wendy." Logan spat.

"Logan, Wendy is alive, she just had a baby." Max said sounding confused.

"No, White killed her." Logan said.

"Logan, Wendy is at home right now with her two day old baby girl." Alec said.

"Well then how do you explain Ray hiding in Canada?" Logan asked.

"Logan man Ray is in boarding school in Wyoming." Alec said.

"No I moved him out of country to get him away from White." Logan said.

"Alec he is creating this entire other world." Max said softly but loud enough for Logan to hear as she cried into Alec's chest.

"Logan, Ray is a Manticore, you know that. He is attending the same boarding school we all have, you know Ames wanted Ray to go to the same school he did." Biggs said.

"White never went to Manticore he is not a transgenic." Logan said.

"A what?" Mandy asked.

"A transgenic, you know the thing Max, Alec, and Biggs are classified as the people you and White have been hunting down and killing." Logan spat.

"Ah Logan buddy we are not these trans whatever you called them." Alec said, he played confused very well.

"Oh come on Alec you spent your whole life at Manticore you know you are a transgenic." Logan said.

"Well I did spend a long time there but I would hardly call it my whole life, I mean all of us were there from age six to age eighteen." Alec said.

"Some of the best years of our lives happened there." Max said with a wistful smile.

"The parties." Karl said.

"The pranks." Mandy said.

"The chicks." Alec and Biggs said.

"None of you like Manticore you all think it is hell and you two never even went there." Logan pointed at the two familiars.

"Logan how else do you think we would know each other? I went to school with them, they are all a few years a head of me but since they hang with my brother we got close. I mean come on Logan you know this." Mandy said.

"No, I know that Ames White would not be caught dead anywhere near the three of them." Logan said.

"Is that so?" Ames White asked from the now open door.

"Ames." Mandy said.

"Hey guys sorry I am late, Wendy was tired so I watched the baby while she slept a little." White said kissing Mandy on the cheek as well as Max.

"Max!" Logan yelled.

"What?"

"You just let White kiss you!" Logan yelled.

"Logan I kiss Max all the time you know that, I used to kiss her more often when we dated." White said.

"Max never dated you." Logan sneered Mandy looked at him as if he was stupid.

"Cale listen you know that Max dated Zack for a year and then Ames for three and then Alec." Mandy said.

"Max never dated Zack or White, she dated me!" Logan said and the room went silent.

"Ah Logan, Max never dated you man." Biggs said softly, the others looked shocked like what Logan said had hurt them.

"Yes for a year and then she got recaptured by Manticore and then there was the virius and now we can't touch so we really can't date." Logan said.

"Captured by Manticore, Alec he really is losing his grip on reality." Max sobbed and Alec held her, Mandy clung to Ames as a few tears trickled down her pale cheeks.

"Ames, I thought the doctors said he was getting better." Mandy whispered just loud enough so Logan could hear her.

"I know sweetie but they said he recently started having delusions." White said rubbing Mandy's back.

"Logan Manticore is a boarding school they don't capture people." Biggs said.

"Oh really then how do you explain the barcodes on the back of your necks Max, Alec, and Biggs?" Logan asked looking proud of himself. Mandy went over to Biggs and turned him around and pulled down his shirt collar, there was no barcode.

"What barcode?" Alec asked.

"This is insane." Logan said.

"Percisly." Max said just loud enough for Alec and Biggs to hear.


	14. Making Him Wild

Part 14 Making Him Wild

"You all are supirior beings with reved up genes and super human abilities." Logan said.

"Wow thanks man I wish it was true." Karl said.

"No don't tell me it is not true when I know it is I have seen it for myself I have seen your world for the past few years." Logan said.

"Logan for the past few years you have been here. You used to be roommates with CJ, Ames and Mandy's brother remember?" Max asked.

"No!" Logan yelled.

"Wonder what else he does not remember?" Karl asked.

"Logan what else do you remember about the last three years?" Alec asked.

"Well I remember how much of a pain in the ass you are." Logan snapped.

"Logan do you remember Alec and I getting married?" Max asked.

"No!"

"Do you remember my engadgment to Hannah aka Hawk?" Biggs asked.

"NO!"

"What about my wedding?" Mandy asked.

"I don't even know you." Logan said.

"Karl!" Mandy cried brurrying her face into his shirt.

"What about the birth of our kids?" Alec asked.

"WHAT?"

"Six months ago Logan, remember how fat I got because of the twins?" Max asked crying.

"NO!"

"What about Gem and Dalton having a baby?" Biggs asked.

"Now that is just grose he is a kid!" Logan yelled.

"No he is like the same age as me almost!" Mandy yelled.

"Guys I think we should leave, maybe the doctor is right." White said.

"No I can't accept that!" Mandy cried.

"Mandy sweetie he is sick, we were getting our hopes up thinking that this new treatment might help him." White said.

"But Ames he is creating this whole other reality it scares me." Mandy cried.

"I know but we knew that this might happen, the doctor said his condition might get worse." White said playing concerned brother well.

"I can't take this anymore, I will see you at home." Mandy left the room crying.

"Oh yeah right she is really broken up that I am in here." Logan sarcastically commented.

"Logan of course she cares that you are in here, you are one of her best friends. Logan we all love you and it kills us that you are here, but you are sick." Max sobbed.

"Logan we need to get going man, we will come and visit you some other time." Alec sounded pained as he led Max out of Logan's room followed by White.

"Take care man." Biggs said patting him on the back and then he left closing the door behind him. He and the others jumped when the heard Logan throw himself at the door.

"NO DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

"Ah serves you right." Mandy spat leading the way out of the mental hospital.

"Thanks for the help Ames." Karl said shaking hands with the older familiar.

"The pleasure was all mine, I have been waiting for a long time to mess with that guy." White said sounding thoroughly happy.

"Glad we could help." Biggs said.

"Bye you two, be good which I know is a tough thing for you D." White said putting on his sunglasses and he got into his dark blue car and left.

"Let's go home, I am starving." Max said heading to the van.

"Can I drive?" Mandy asked.

"NO!" they all yelled.

"Just spoil my fun." She mumbled.

"Yes Mandy and it has nothing to do with us wanting to live." Karl said pushing her into the back seat next to Biggs.

"Hey I know how to drive I just get a little overzealous sometimes." Mandy ducked her head in embaresment.

"Is it wrong that I feel a little bad about what we are doing to Logan?" Max asked.

"No Max it is not wrong I mean if I spent the last oh lets say two and a half years pining over some guy and then I locked him in a mental hospital there are bound to be some risidual feelings of guilt." Mandy said.

"Okay way to make yourself sound heartless D." Karl said.

"Well what would you have preferred me say Karl that it is okay for her to feeling sad that we are mercilessly messing with her former love interests mind and that since she has human emotions she is bound to feel something when she sees him suffering?" Mandy asked.

"Okay you are right the first answer is much better." Karl said.

"See." Mandy said. The rest of the ride was uneventful which Max was grateful for she was starting to feel tired and a little nacious. She could not wait to get back to the city and then to hers and Alecs' apartment so she could get some sleep. When they pulled up to the city they were surprised at how many reporters were out front of the city, their numbers seemed to metastasize in a matter of hours.

"What is going on?" Biggs asked.

"We are just as clueless as you are big guy, or well…" Karl slapped a hand over her mouth.

"That was not a nice comment you were going to make." Karl said wincing at the murderous look she sent his way, she did not like people preventing her from speaking her mind it was one of her pet peves.

"What Mandy meant to say is that we were with you so we have no idea what the big deal is." Karl said.

"Oh, right, I knew that." Biggs said.

"Alec pull in the same way we left, we might be able to miss these guys if we do." Max said and Alec maneuvered the car to the other side of the city. The group ran out of the parking structure and into HQ where most of the city was congigated.

"Mole what is happening?" Max asked.

"Two more transgenics and familiars were killed in front of here and the news caught it all." Mole said.

"Oh no, who was it?" Max asked.

"Blaze and Bubbles. We don't know who the familiars were." Mole said.

"Do you have a picture of them?" Mandy asked looking scared as Dix pulled up their images. Mandy took one look at the pictures and she let out a bone chilling scream, the others could have sworn they felt ice floating through their veins. Mandy took off from the building leaving Karl there looking furious.

"Who are they?" Dalton asked.

"The one on the left is Drina a lesser member of the Conclave and the one on the right is Cole another member of the Conclave and like Drina he is a lesser member." Karl said.

"They look so young." Alec said.

"They are, only a few years older then Mandy." Karl whispered.

"Were they close?" Biggs asked.

"Yeah, Mandy and Cole used to date and Drina was best friends with her." Karl said still looking at the pictures.

"When did this happen?" Alec asked.

"About a half an hour after the lot of you left." Mole said.

"Do we have any suspects?" Max asked.

"The poliece have them in custody." Dix said.

"Well that is not a good thing since Mandy has friends that are poliece and owe her a favor, she will kill them if she has the chance." Karl said.

"Then we need to get there before she does." Alec said.

"Who is going?" Mole asked.

"Karl, Biggs, Dalton and I will go." Alec said and Max reluctantly nodded.

"Okay just know that when Mandy gets mad she gets mean." Karl said shuddering, Alec and the others visibly gulped when they saw the response.

"Lets hurry." Alec said racing back to the car hoping that the car would beat Mandys running speed.

"Okay if I have this timed right we should just beat her by three minutes." Karl said as Alec raced out of the city not even caring that several reporters caught them all they cared about was getting to the jail before the familiar who was looking to rumble.

"GO!" Alec yelled as they all raced out of the car and inside the sector poliece building.

"Hey we need to see the prisioners who were arrested for the murders." Biggs said like that was going to get them in.

The sector police just laughed at the four males. "Yeah like we are going to let that happen." One said.

"Oh well it is your funeral." Dalton said, that got them to stop laughing.

"What?" One of them asked.

"Lets just say a very brassed off female is on her way here and she has no shilly-shallying about killing you to get to them." Alec said.

"Yeah right." The another man said.

"They are right." Mandy said making the officers jump up Mandy flipped over the counter and grabbed the closest mans neck in a vice like grip.

"Now you could let them go and talk to the men or I could just kill you and them and make it look like you killed them." Mandy said getting ready to snap the mans neck.

"They can see them." The man gasped out.

"Good." Mandy said motioning for Alec to lead the way back.

"So Mandy where is this friend of yours?" Karl asked.

"Right here." The man said holding up a chain of keys.

"Thanks Brian now be a doll and unlock the doors. I will let the others get the info they want and then I will have my merry way with them." Mandy hissed.

"As you wish." Brian said opening the cell that held a small group of men.

"Visitors boys and not the friendly kind." Dalton growled.

"Who are you?" The one man asked.

"Oh us, well the three of us are transgenic and the two of them are familiars and well we really were not happy with your handy work." Biggs snapped.

"Ah Mandy the officer your holding is going blue." Karl muttered.

"Tough." She spat.

"Just knock him out." Alec said.

"Fine." The group watched as the man fell to the floor suddenly.

"Teleknisis is a blast." Mandy explained knowing the others would catch on that she sent a mental blast at the human knocking him out cold.

"So you are some of the freaks we killed." Another man said.

"Look who is calling who a freak, I was born hot and powerful while you were born a hick and hideous so I think you're the freak." Mandy said batting her eyelashes enough to make one of the guys let out an involuntary moan.

"Shove it man." Another man snapped at his friend.

"They are hot though."

"And taken." Alec said as he put his arm around Max and Karl around Mandy.

"Figueres a freak with a freak."

"Well it is the better option I mean come on if we had to choose between our hot boys and you the choice is obvious we are going to pick our hot boys who have brains, bodies and dicks that are larger then a roll of dimes." Mandy retorted making Dalton laugh.

"Hey kitten my dick is larger then that." The guy snapped.

"Right but you are no where near as equipped as my man." Mandy said kissing Karl on the cheek.

"So we are really here to ask you some questions like who are you and what is your plan." Mandy said poking Karl in the back, suddenly the man closest to the front fell to the ground cluthching his head that felt like a watermelon being dropped on the ground.

"What is happening to him?" Alec asked.

"Karl is just getting some information." Mandy said as she looked at the guy next to him as he too fell to the ground screaming.

"They are reading their minds." Dalton said with a smirk.

"Oh now this is helpful." Alec said when suddenly the man Karl was reading stopped screaming, one of his cell mates ran over to him.

"He is dead." He whispered looking at the group in fear.

"Well what can I say, he had a weak mind, like you." Karl said as the man screamed in pain. Soon all of the men in the cell were dead on the floor.

"Now for the finishing touch." Mandy said closing her eyes.

"What is she doing?" Biggs asked.

"Making it look like pea brain over here is responsible for killing them." Karl said when they saw the officers gun going off into each mans chest.

"It will look like they died of a bullet to the heart instead of liqidation of the brain." Mandy said.

"You guys just killed them." Biggs said.

"We did what we had to, we wanted the information they had in their heads and we do not want our enemies finding out that we have this gift so we killed them so they could not tattle on us." Mandy said.

"Did you find out anything?" Alec asked.

"Lots and when we get back to TC you will know everything we do." Mandy said smirking at Brian as she lead the way out of the building.

"So how do you know Brian?" Dalton asked.

"Easy, he is a familiar life mate." Mandy said.

"What?" Biggs asked.

"Okay you guys know about Ames's dead wife Wendy right?" Mandy asked and the guys all nodded yes.

"Well she was a mate but not a life mate. See there are few life mates in our group because humans find it vulgur what we do so they need to be killed, those are the mates. Life mates are humans who grow up knowing of our existence and go to school with us and know that one day 

they will breed with us and not be killed because they except who and what we are." Mandy explained.

"So Brian is a life mate." Alec said.

"Correct." Karl said.

"Wow you people have one screwed up way of life." Biggs said.

"No more screwed up then yours." Mandy snapped.

"True." Biggs admitted.

"I want to get back, I don't like being away from Gem and the baby for too long with all of this going on." Dalton said.

"I am with you on that one." Alec said and Biggs nodded in agreement.

"I guess it is a good thing I go almost everywhere with you." Karl said to Mandy.

"I know." Mandy laughed.

"Were they the ones responsible for the attack?" Alec asked after a few minutes.

"One of them anyway they." Mandy muttered.

"So like what all can you see in someones head?" Biggs asked.

"Everything." The two said.

"As in like everything?" Biggs asked.

"As in if you had sex with someone we would see it all." Mandy said.

"Man sometimes it gives you really bad images." Karl shuddered.

"Oh you are thinking about the time you had to look into Lilly's mind." Mandy said rubbing his back.

"It was so horrible D I mean I saw her with HIM!" Karl's shudder was much more violent.

"Well you did know that they had dated at one point so you were bound to see some butt of my brother in there." Mandy said.

"Whoa what?" Alec asked.

"Well in one of our classes we were taught how to sort through all of the memories we had gained and one time Karl was looking through our friend Lilly's memories. Since her and my brother were hot and heavy there for a while I knew that there was a chance he might see them together, but since we were concentraiting on looking at a specific topic of memories I thought it was not going to happen when all of the sudden Karl started screaming like a woman saying, "I SAW HIS BUTT!" Well the lot of us were stunned into silence." Mandy said.

"So then they asked me what I was concentraiting on and I told them, Lilly's sex life. Well Mandy here was gracious enough to let out an ear splitting scream saying that her brother and Lilly dated for like three years and well lets just say I had a very vivid image of her brother and Lilly in a very compromising position." Karl said.

"Will you ever look at a pair of handcuffs the same?" Mandy asked.

"You know for someone who has never seen this you sure do know a lot about it." Karl said.

"Well lets just say they were my cuffs." Mandy said.

"Oh now that is too much!"

"Hey would you rather I not tell you and then one day when I feel kinky or more so then usual and I pull out my cuffs you would see them and feak out knowing they were the same ones my brother wore with Lily." Mandy said.

"Okay you need to burn those things." Karl grunted.

"NO I can not burn my cuffs they are my babies I need them they were my first sex toy I have had them since you know who, I can not get rid of them." Mandy rambled.

"Great, just what I wanted to hear. Not only were they used on your brother but they were used on HIM as well and knowing you others." Karl snapped. This obviously was the wrong thing to say to Mandy.

"So you think I am a slut? That I just sleep with all of these guys, what I am a whore or something?" Mandy screamed. "For your information Karl I have slept with three guys and that includes you!" She yelled turning away from him, it was not like she could storm away since they were in a moving car.

"Mandy…" Karl tried but she would not respond.

"Oh man he really blew it." Dalton muttered and the other two males nodded in agreement.

"Mandy come on you know that is not what I meant." Karl tried again when suddenly he grabbed his head. "Argh Mandy that is not fair!" He snapped rubbing his temples.

"Yes it is." Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

"Man she makes us look like bunnies." Biggs whispered referring to how all of the transgenics used to be when they were at Manticore and how they were not allowed to show any emotion.

"I can hear you." She ground out, the three transgenics looked guilty.

"Sorry." They mumbled.

"Mandy please listen to me I do not think you are a slut I was joking, I love the cuffs really." Karl begged.

"No." she mentally focused on Karl _"Screw you." _She said in his head making the other familiar wince.

"Come on D please listen to me I lo lov lov love you."

"_Wow that was hard for you to say." She was irritated now._

"_Hey what can I say I am new at this whole I love you thing." Karl mentally grunted._

"_You are making me feel so much better here." Karl winced at her sarcastic tone._

"_You know I love you and I don't think you are a slut. Please forgive me?" He begged._

"_Okay for now but once we get back to the city we need to talk more." Mandy said and Karl was happy that she was at least speaking to him now._

"We are here." Alec said laughing as Dalton and Biggs blurred away. "Lets go report to Mole and you two can go into two of the offices and record everything you saw." Alec said leading the way out of the parking structure.

"Oh goody." She sounded like someone just told her she had to sit through the SAT's for the third time.

"Hey you are helping out your people by doing this." Alec reminded her.

"Yes and saving yours while I am at it." She sang as she walked ahead of the two guys.

"So you two make up?" Alec asked.

"Sort of but I can tell she is still pissed at me and rightfully so. What I said really hurt her." Karl said.

"So about this cuffs thing, I thought her and her brother did not get along." Alec said.

"Their relationship is a complicated one. They love each other unconditionally but they hate each other at the same time." Karl said.

"That is messed up."

"Well think of it like this, they know they can always count on the other to be there for them in a time of need but they are always trying to one up the other, to be the better one if you will." Karl said.

"So they are allies when they are in battle but off the battle field they are enemies?" Alec asked.

"Sort of. They help each other out at times like in their personal lives but when it comes to their work and being a familiar they are against each other." Karl explained.

"Why?"

"Because they are both fighting to become the next leader of the Conclave and they do not like to share." Karl said.

"But can't they both be leaders I mean you all said that there is this Zues and Hera thing." Alec said.

"True but like I said the two are not big on sharing the power least of all with each other. They are waiting to take the thrones but with different people. Mandy is willing to take the throne but with Rafael who sits on the throne of Apollo. Michael is willing to take the throne but with Jasmine who sits on the throne of Diana." Karl said.

"I still don't see why they can not lead together." Alec said.

"After you are in a room with them for a few minutes you begin to understand." Karl said.

"So why did she let her brother borrow her cuffs?"

"Like I said in their personal lives they are very supportive of each other just not professionally." Karl said.

"That is so messed up."

"I know." Karl laughed.

"So lets just say the two were in a fight against an enemy would they work together?" Alec asked.

"Depends."

"On what?'

"Is it a mutual enemy. Would it help the other if they take the enemy out. Could it boost them or the other." Karl explained

"Even I don't hate someone that much." Alec muttered.

"Like I said before they hate and love each other. To understand them you have to understand them which is impossible and you have to understand how they grew up." Karl said as they walked into HQ.

"Meaning?"

"We were taught at a young age that we work for the greater good of our race but at the same time to better ourselves to achieve new goals. We are taught to love but to be guarded. Family is important but when it comes to you moving ahead your family is your enemy. They teach us this so we are always working to better ourselves and to keep the compition going." Karl said.

"Sounds a lot like Manticore, your unit is your life until you want to move ahead then it is every man for themselves." Alec said.

"Yeah well a familiar did create Manticore so he was brought up believing the same values so it is easy believe that there are similarities." Karl said.

"Welcome back guys, Mandy is in my office writing up her report of what she saw, Karl please take Alec's office." Max said handing over a clipboard.

"Hey baby." Alec whispered in her ear making her grin.

"Hey. Now you need to write up your version of what happened so would you please go to Mole's office?" Max asked.

"Sure thing. Biggs and Dalton will be by later to write up their reports, they just wanted to see Gem and Hawk." Alec said.

"That is fine." Max said watching Alec walk away.

Right after he got out of the car Biggs headed stright to Hawk and into the apartment knowing she was still on bed rest. "Hawk?" He called out running into her room, she was sitting up in bed looking confused.

"Hey you okay?" She asked as he barreled towards her.

"Yes, I just needed to see you." He stated lamely.

"Hey I know about what happened, thanks for worrying." She said watching as relief flooded his face. She moved over as much as she could so he could get into bed with her which he did and 

he pulled her half ontop of him. He held onto her tightly and kissed the top of her head. The act was simple but comforting.

"Mandy and Karl were able to learn who has been involved in some of the previous attacks. With their information we are hoping to be able to take a step forward here. So far we have been fumbling around in the dark and it seems we finally have a candle." Biggs said.

"More like a lighthouse." She said and he agreed.

"But we all learned more about Mandy and Karl's personal lives then we may have wanted." Biggs said.

"Like?" Hawk prompted.

"Well like she is a kinky girl who tends to let her brother borrow her hand cuffs." Biggs said. Hawk looked beyond disgusted by this news.

"Okay there are just some things you should not share. Her brother was actually okay with her having hand cuffs?" Hawk asked.

"Apparently, after all he did use them. Then Karl and Mandy had a row because he basically called her a slut and she rightfully was angry with him. I know for a fact she used her mind powers on him to cause him pain." Biggs said making Hawk laugh.

"Man that must come in handy." Hawk laughed.

"Hey no ideas now." Biggs pulled her closer.

"No ideas. You should get to HQ and fill out your mission report even if it was an unofficial mission you still have to do it and the sooner you get done the sooner you can come back here." Hawk said, Biggs reluctantly got up and headed out of Hawk's apartment. Later he would move her to his apartment.

In another apartment complex Dalton blurred into his apartment and was relieved to see Gem and the baby on the couch playing. It was a cute sight seeing the mother and daughter laughing and cooing at each other.

"Hey." Dalton called softly, Gem looked up with a grin on her face making her glow.

"Hey." She replied as Dalton sat beside her pulling her closer. He put an arm around her and held his baby girls hand as he nuzzled Gems neck.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just missed you two." He replied.

"We missed you two. How did your impromptu mission go?" Gem asked letting out a sigh when she felt his breath tickle her left ear.

"Mandy and Karl read the minds of the guys and then Mandy killed them all." Dalton whispered smiling as Gem leaned into him farther.

"That girl is more powerful then I like." Gem said.

"Yes, even White is afraid of her." Dalton said.

"She is dangerous, just be careful around her because once we get rid of this enemy she will be after us." Gem said.

"I know and the worst part is she is getting inside information by being here." Dalton said. "In the end she is our enemy." Dalton said.

"Right now though she is our friend and we need to remember that." Gem said.

"It is weird but seeing her in action I know that she could hunt down these bad guys and kill them all but there is like some invisible force holding her back." Dalton said.

"Yeah it is called a concnce. She might have no problem with killing but she knows that if she went off on a rampage she might kill innocent people and there is a part of her that does not want to do that. She also does not want to make her people look bad in the public eye and killing everyone of the acholites is a good way for people to hate her." Gem said and Dalton did have to admit she was right.

"Well I have to get to HQ to write up my report." Dalton grumbled burying his head in Gems neck like a kid clinging to their favorite toy.

"You okay?" She asked again.

"Yes, I just don't want to leave the two of you, if I could I would attach little miss here to my hip and drag you along." Dalton said making Gem laugh.

"Go on to HQ, we will see you after you write up your report." Gem said, Dalton huffed and left.

Dalton blurred over to HQ and right as he entered Max handed him a clip board and pushed him towards her office. Alec came up behind Max and he wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer to him so that he could rest his chin on the top of his head. Max rested her hands on top of his, the two of them looked like a couple from one of those pre pulse cheesy romance novels.

"Come on the others are still writing up their reports and when they are done they can hand them to Mole who is setting up for our next mission. Lets go back to our place and rest, you have been up on your feet all day, that is not good for the babies." Alec whispered into her hair.

"Fine just bring my kids into this." Max grumbled.

"Hey I knew it was the only way to get you to relax." Alec said

"Fine, Mole I am going to rest." She gave the lizard man a fake pout to which he rolled his eyes as Alec dragged the spunky leader out of the headquarters.

Max let out a girlish squeal as Alec picked her up bridal style to carry her to their apartment. Several people laughed at them along the way others cheered Alec on as he dragged their fearless leader home. Max buried her face into his neck so that the others would not see how much she was blushing. She could not help but love the attention Alec was lavishing on her, even before she was pregnant ever since they got together she felt so loved and cared for, for the first time in her life it was like she felt home.

"So you going to take me to bed or what?" She purred nipping his ear.

"You make me wild Max." Alec growled carrying her up the stairs.

"That is my job lover boy." She purred as she nipped from his ear to his neck making his eyes roll. Alec was never more thankful to be home as he somehow managed to open the door with Max in his arms. He carried her into their room and went to town.

Karl dragged Mandy from the command center after they were done writing up their reports, he could tell she was reluctant to go with him. He pulled her into their temporary home and pulled her into his arms. She looked everywhere but his eyes and it bugged him. He pulled her face up so that she had no choice but to look at him.

"You still mad about what I said earlier?" Karl asked.

"No." He could tell she was lying.

"I am sorry I don't think you are a slut if anything I sleep around or slept around more then you did Mandy." Karl said.

"Yes which is what made your comment hurt so much it is like you were judging me and being a hipocrit." She said.

"Listen Mandy you and I are both used to lesser people who are not as carefree with their sexuality so when I am with you it is a little different because you are just like me. I am not used to my girlfriend having as much experience as me." Karl admitted.

"Well I don't have as much as you but I mean come on I am not a slut. I am a familiar for crying out loud I was taught my body is a means to get what I want and if I have it use it." Mandy said.

"Baby I know I was taught the same thing and it just hit me full force in the car today that the two of us are the same and it is just going to take some time for the both of us to get used to the fact that we are different then our past lovers." Karl said kissing her nose and then her lips, her full lushous lips.

Mandy reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. Karl smiled into the kiss and pulled her closer lifting her off her feet as he kissed her long and hard. He kissed her cheek and then moved his kisses down her neck towards her breast bone where he knows she loves to be kissed and he was rewarded with a breathy moan.

"Bedroom, NOW!"

Alec watched Max sleep he was happy that he wore her out. She looked so beautiful with her puffy lips that were even more swollen from his kisses and how her cheeks were slightly flushed since her pregnancy. She just seemed to glow all around it was almost like a golden aura around her. He brushed a lock of her choclate hair out of her face as she slept, he knew that she felt safe with him and would not wake up.

It still got to him when he thought about how Max was carrying his babies. Back at Manticore he never thought that one day he would have a mate and a family, but here he was with Max and they had twins on the way. He gently nuzzled her neck loving the fact that Max moved towards him in her sleep. Alec pulled Max into his arms and yet she still did not wake up which was fine since he wanted to sleep.

"Night baby." Alec whispered.

"Night Alec." Max mumbled in her sleep.

Dalton just walked out of the office handing Mole his report, it took him forever to finish. Mole smirked at him as if he knew the reason why writing up the report took so long. He gave the lizard man a small smile before he rushed out of the command center and over to his and Gems apartment where he knew she would be putting the baby to sleep in a few minutes. He practically flew up the stairs with the speed of a jungle cat.

"Hey just in time." Gem said as she held her baby girl in her arms.

"Great." He said grabbing his little girl from her mommy's arms, Eve eagerly went to him and curled into his chest.

"Oh that is so sweet."

"What?" Dalton asked he knew that Gem saw him rub Eve's face and he was kind of embaressed, he still had to get used to the fact that it was okay to show someone affection especially his own kid.

"I saw you, you know you two are so cute together." She said resting her head on his arm as he resumed rubbing Eve's baby cheeks.

"Yes, we are cute aren't we?" He asked little Eve who gave him a sleepy smile. He pulled Gem into the bedroom as he laid Eve down.

"Well she is out for the night." Gem said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well she had no knap and woke us up early today so she is out for the night." Gem said.

"Great which means I get mommy for the night." Dalton said making Gem laugh softly.

Biggs blurred out of HQ and over to Hawk's place, now that he was done with his report he wanted to get her over to his place where he could spend some time with her. He knew he could not fool around with her because Dizzy threatened to cut off his little solider if he did. He just wanted to keep her safe and he would feel better if she was at his place.

"Hawk is in her room." Her roommate said from the ground, she looked like a human pretzal.

"Thanks." He said as he hurried into Hawk's room. She was sound asleep when he got there and he was surprised that she did not wake up when he came near her, they were trained to wake up when someone came within a certain distance of them.

Deciding to let her sleep he sat in the chair so that he could watch her sleep. When Alec told him that he used to watch Max sleep at times he thought his best friend was turning stalker but now that he has Hawk and he is getting to know her better he finds himself watching her sleep. Who would have thought the tough Manticore solider would have fallen so hard, she was an X6 for crying out loud and yet that did not matter to him.

"Biggs?" Hawk asked as she woke up, she was not groggy like most people are when they just wake up after all she was trained to be the best solider and that meant waking up right away.

"Yeah, come on I am taking you to my apartment." Biggs said.

"Why?"

"Because it is closer to HQ and I would feel safer with you there." He said hoping she would not argue with him.

"Alright fine, but if I walk there Dizzy will mince your boys." Hawk said.

"Which is why I plan on carrying you there, but first I need to pack some of your things." He said blurring around putting some of her things in a duffel bag. Hawk just laughed at him she 

knew that he had been waiting to ask her to move to his apartment since he found out she was pregnant and even more so when she was not doing so well.

"Okay lets go." He said putting the duffle bad over his shoulder and he picked Hawk up bridal style.

"You mind taking a back way or something because I really do not want people to see me like this." Hawk said looking shy for the first time.

"How about I blurr." He said and she nodded her okay holding onto him tighter so that she would not fall. They said goodbye to her roommate and told her what was going on and then they were off.

It did not take long for Biggs to get to his apartment and when he did he quickly got the door open and put Hawk on his bed. Biggs fluffed up the pillows so that she was well supported and cozy. Hawk had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as Biggs bustled around making sure everything was perfect for her. She thought it was cute how he wanted to make sure she was okay. It was as he was cuddling up next to her pulling her closer that she realized how great she had it. He cared about her even though they had only known each other for a little while and he was taking care of her and their baby.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he rested his head in the crook of her neck.

"Perfect, although I wish I could get up and do something." She mumbled.

"I know you do but you need to relax, all of the stress put you and the baby in danger and I do not want a repeat of what happened." Biggs said unconsciously pulling her closer rubbing his nose against her neck breathing in her sent.

"Well I am more relaxed and hopefully Dizzy will give me a clean bill of health tomorrow and I can get out of bed." Hawk said.

"Right, but from now on you are staying here right? I really want to be near you." Biggs asked feeling slightly embaressed.

"Okay I will stay here." She said laughing as she heard Biggs purr into her neck, she knew they all did it but it was more of an X5 thing since they had more cat in them.

Biggs looked up at her wondering why she was laughing. She smiled at him and cupped his cheek, "I thought it was cute how you were purring, X6's can purr but we do not do it as often as X5's." She explained and he just grinned at her. Hawk shifted around a little to try and get more comfortable only to brush up against a sensitive part of his anatomy making him groan.

"Damn." He muttered.

"Whops." She said sweetly, he could tell she did not entirely mean it.

"Evil woman, you are purposely trying to make me wild here." Biggs growled.

"You know me so well." She said pinching his cheek.

"Just go to sleep." He grunted.


	15. Let' Fight

Part 15 Let's Fight

Mandy walked out of her apartment refreshed and ready to go for the day. She had to head over to the outskirts of the city where the new prep school was located where her and Thula were going to show the next generation how to fight like a familiar. This was something she was looking forward to greatly, any chance she had to beat her older sister she took it and this was an added bonus because it was in an area where Thula was considered the best and she was going to have the opportunity to make her look incompetent.

"Hey where you headed?" Max asked as she saw the familiar looking ready to bail.

"To school where I will enjoy kicking Thula's ass in front of a bunch of twelve year olds. See I get to show them the proper way to fight and Thula is my punching bag." Mandy said, Max could see she was really looking forward to this event.

"Well have fun and pull her hair extra hard for me will ya?" Max asked.

"Oh you know I will." She sang as she skipped out of the building.

"Well she is entirely too happy, who is she going to kill?" Mole asked watching the form of the girl getting smaller.

"Her big sister." Max said, Mole just shook his head.

"That family needs therapy." He muttered walking away.

"Hey Max." Hawk said bouncing into HQ with a very nervous Biggs right behind her.

"Not so much jumping you might jar the baby." Biggs said the two females just looked at him like he was part of a freak show.

"Okay just so we are clear he is older then me right?" Hawk asked Max who nodded her head still looking amazed.

"What?" Biggs asked.

"Biggs in the first trimester there is so much fluid in my uterus that the baby will not be harmed." Hawk explained.

"Oh." Biggs said.

"Is Alec like this?" Hawk asked Max with a cute pout.

"Sometimes, he has yet to tell me to stop doing any kind of physical movement like your guy." Max said laughing when Hawk whipped around towards Biggs glaring at him from under a veil of black hair.

"Hey I just worry alright no need to attack me!" Biggs held up his hands in surrender.

"Max I am hungry want to come with me to the mess hall?" Hawk asked her leader whose stomach choose that time to growl.

"Oh yeah." Max said wrapping her arm around the younger girl as they headed down to the mess hall where their glorious food was. Biggs just shook his head in amazement as the two hard ass girls walked away.

"Hey man what is with the look?" Alec asked as he came out of his office, he stopped and sniffed the air. "Oh Hawk and Max just left."

"It was weird they ganged up on me." Biggs said.

"Females do that." Alec said as a very grumpy Dizzy came into the command center. It was common knowledge that the computer girl turned medic was not a morning person and that caused her problems at Manticore. Alec shuddered at the girls withering look as she passed him and Biggs and made her way over to some of the members of her unit who looked to be in the same mood as her. One of the males of her pack wrapped an arm around her feeling her misery.

"What is it with that unit and mornings?" Biggs asked.

"Wait you mean you all don't know?" Mole asked letting out a large puff of smoke.

"Know what?" Alec asked.

"Just how well did you read everyone's file?" Mole asked.

"Very well." Alec looked confused.

"Well then how did you miss the part where the tech unit 10 is Atra you know dark?" Mole asked.

"What?" The two males asked confused.

"Well Atra means they are night creatures they were created for night missions." Mole said.

"That is odd." Alec said.

"Not as odd as you think our leader is the same way as are about three other units." Mole let out another puff of smoke.

"Max has shark DNA in her that is why she does not sleep at night." Alec said.

"Well there is that in the X5's and X6's but in the other series they put something else in them to make them better for the night missions because lets face it having a sleepy solider is no good for them so they created ones who would be awake for longer periods of time. See the night units are just wired a little differently so that they do not need as much sleep but they do have their limits hence the grumpy attitude in the morning." Mole said.

"Hey we are not always grumpy it is just that I was up late last night delivering twins and I have not slept for a week." Dizzy said.

"Oh who popped?" Mole asked.

"Ducky." Dizzy said.

"Oh wow she was early." Alec said.

"Most women who have twins are early because of the strain on the body. At least she was over 32 weeks." Dizzy said.

"How are they doing?" Biggs asked.

"The babies are breathing on their own and are developed very well since they are transgenic so they were almost completely developed. Ducky is in minor pain still but she is doing great, there were no complications with her delivery." Dizzy said.

"Wait does this mean Max might go into labor early?" Alec asked, the others could see the blind panic in the poor guys eyes.

"For a transgenic female it is a slim possibility but yes Alec it could happen which is why as she progresses more into her pregnancy she will need to be monitored more closely and will need to take it easy." Dizzy said patting Alec on the back trying not to scare him knowing he was going through a hard time.

"You promise not to let anything happen to her?" Alec asked.

"You know as well I as I do that I cannot make that promise but I can promise you that I will do everything I can." Dizzy said.

"Well at least that is something." Alec said as the blonde went back to her unit.

"Max is a fighter Alec she will be fine." Biggs said.

"So anyone up for some food?" Mole asked.

"Do you have to ask us that?" Biggs asked grinning like the kid who got the sucker.

"Let's go." Alec said and the three males left HQ.

"Boys and their stomachs." Dizzy rolled her eyes at her superiors.

Mandy got out of the car with Karl and saw White standing at the gate entrance waiting for her looking rather board and impatient. She strolled up to him casually making him even more irritated then he was. White fixed his clothes and motioned for the two to follow him into the school. They had officially opened last night and gotten the rest of the students set up. Some of the younger ones did not return to the school yet because their parents wanted to keep them at home until they were sure that the security measures were in place.

"Is she here yet?" Mandy asked as she put her long maroon locks up in a bun. White gave her a look as if to say did you expect anything else. "Right stupid question."

"She has been going on for the past hour about how irresponsible you are." Ames said.

"Right I am five minutes late!" Mandy screamed.

"Hey don't take out your sibling crap on me I have enough family problems without your family thanks." Ames said and Karl rolled his eyes.

"Why do I have to be here again?" Karl asked.

"Because I need someone there to stop me from killing the witch." Mandy said.

"But you know how she feels about me and I get the feeling that today I am going to be more than a little uncomfortable." Karl said pulling his jacket around him tighter as if hoping it would protect him some.

"Right I keep forgetting Thula has a thing for you." Mandy said making Karl blush and glare at her.

"Hey I do not like this situation I mean imagine how she is going to react when she finds out the two of us are together." Karl said, Ames stopped abruptly.

"Wait the two of you are together?" Ames asked looking highly amused.

"Yup." Mandy said.

"Oh this is going to be a great day after all I mean I can just see her face now when she finds out that the man she has had it bad for, for the past ten years is involved with her sister having sex with her sister and not her. Oh this is like Christmas." Ames said doing a little happy dance.

"No need to mention the sex part that will only make her lash out more." Mandy said.

"Oh I never thought of how she was going to react to us in a physical relationship I only thought about how mad she was going to be when she found out the two of us were going to be married and that she had lost to you yet again." Karl said a look of sheer panic on his face.

"Hey it will be okay I will protect you from my sisters vengeful ways." Mandy said.

"Why does that not comfort me?" Karl asked.

"Who knows, now let's stop dilly dallying and get this over with." Ames said.

"So how many of the little runts are there?" Mandy asked as she entered the new school.

"Thirty for the first session then fifty for the next session." Ames said.

"So the first is with the new recruits and then the next with the second and third years?" Mandy asked.

"Correct."

"Great let's get started I want these guys to get a real taste of what power is and how cool I am." Mandy said linking arms with the two men.

Terminal City

Hawk picked at her food watching as the white mess fell off her spoon in a splat. She was so hungry a few moments ago and then when she saw that it was grits and sugar her mood dropped. That had been Bubble's favorite breakfast food, and the sudden thought brought the fresh wave of pain when she thought about her former roommate. She had a new one assigned right away last night, Chic, but it still felt wrong to be without the city gossip.

"You need to eat something." Max whispered glancing at the door where Biggs and Alec had just walked in. "Or else Biggs will get upset."

"I know." She huffed spooning out a heaping and shoving the sweet concoction into her mouth. She knew that Max understood her problem, but as soldiers they chose not to go into the particulars of their emotions on the matter.

"Hey." Alec said slamming his tray down on the table as she slid onto the bench next to Max. "Diggs said they think they have a hot spot located."

"Really?" Max asked her brown eyes widening. "That was fast. They find a location? Do they know if it is a base of operations or what?" Max asked.

"They think it is an outpost that they use when they are going on missions to kill us." Biggs said. "They have one or two four men teams staying there at a time. We have a building locked down. All we need to do is have you look over the plans and then make the calls on what you want to do."

Max bit her plump bottom lip as she ran over simulations in her head knowing that she needed to see not only the sector layouts but sewer and building plans for the area in order to make a decent call. "We have it all set up for you." Mole said for some reason not wanting her to worry about getting the details all set up. "Conference room C all you have to do is look it over with peaches and go to town." Mole said and Max nodded.

"Any chance I can get in on the action?" Hawk asked.

"No." Biggs growled deep in his chest. "Not going to happen."

"But I am bored." She huffed looking to Max for help.

"Max…" Biggs growled warning her not to cave in.

"As much as I want to let you go on this mission Hawks I can't. Hell even I want in on the action but I am stuck here." Max said a slight frown on her face.

"There has to be something we can do. I am going crazy here Max. I am done going over the city and plotting crap. I need action I need movement."

"I know I feel for you there but there is not much they are going to let us do." Max said jabbing her finger in Alec's and Biggs's direction, both scowling at their females.

"A food run or something?" Hawk asked.

"Those aren't that dangerous." Mole agreed. A low growl seeped out from deep in Alec's chest as he glared at Mole hating that he suggested something like that to Max and Hawk, he knew that the two of them were seriously going to consider doing that.

"We will talk about it later." Max sighed she could already tell Alec was going to fight her tooth and nail on that one.

As soon as they were finished eating the group was assembled around the large rectangular table in the conference room pouring over the maps and old pre pulse blue prints to figure out the best course of action or if they were even going to do anything.

"How will this affect their progress?" Scar asked from the tactical end as his eyes raced over each dot of the maps. "Will it hurt their movement?"

"No if anything it will just make them more cautious." Max sighed.

"But it will scare them a bit and make them think twice. If we were able to track them down they will get the picture that we can find them anywhere." Alec said.

"Guys and I am the only one wondering how the hell four humans were able to take down four people who were trained to take down a group of humans in a flash?" Hawk asked her eyes narrowed. "I mean I know that times have been crazy but there is no way that Bubbles would have been taken down by just four little humans it would have taken a lot more than that."

"Kid has a point." Mole said "No way those Familiars would have been taken down so easily either, look at the brat she is just one example. Something pretty powerful had to have gotten to them."

"You thinking that these humans are just taking the fall for it?" Max asked.

"Scapegoats." Biggs sighed.

"That would make more sense." Scar said pointing to the red dot labeled in sector seven. "It would also explain how we were able to find them so easily. A professional would not be found that quickly. It is almost too easy." Scar agreed.

"Great so why the hell didn't we see this before?" Max asked and Alec looked peeved.

"We were too busy focusing on the loss rather than the how." Alec huffed.

"Some soldiers we are." Hawk grumbled sitting down in a chair. "We should have thought of this from the first attack."

"You're right."

"What if there is a reason we never thought of it." Diggs said.

"What do you mean?" Biggs asked.

"Think about it, there has to be a reason we did not think of something so obvious until now. I mean this should have jumped right out and hit us in the face it was so obvious. What if there was actually a reason, our enemies doing that let it slip under our awareness?"

"What do you mean? What could do something like that?" Max asked.

"I can think of at least three people in Psy Opps." Biggs said and Alec nodded in agreement.

"None of whom have been accounted for. Not even in White's records." Alec said.

"Which means they are still out there possibly or killed in the fire." Max said.

"But why would they be working against us?" Hawk asked. "That does not make any sense. I mean the rest of their units are here and are getting along fine. What would make them go against us?" She asked.

"Well they had been trained to see us differently." Max said her eyes troubled "They were taught that we are beneath them and that we needed to be controlled. I suppose they would work with an enemy if they thought they might gain something from it."

"That is a theory and it would explain why our people keep getting killed when they are facing norms. Psy Opps is an entirely different thing." Scar said.

Sacred Heart of the Virgin Mary Preparatory School

The wet sound of air expelling from powerful lungs hit sensitive ears. It was not a pleasant sound and many of the young ones backed away in fear. The rattling in their chest frightened them.

Thula swept her long hair over her shoulder as she wiped the corner of her lip removing the fresh blood. The sound of Mandy's wet breath's thrilling as she walked towards her sister on an obviously broken leg.

"Enough!" White growled for what felt like the hundredth time. "Get to the medical wing both of you." He growled. He felt like he was going insane, the two of them would not listen. After Thula slammed her foot into Mandy's side and broke two ribs the smaller Familiar seemed hell bent on killing her older sister, and he had no doubt she would have if he had not stopped their sparring when he had.

Karl looked at the gym his lip curled in disgust. "I am not cleaning that up." He said pointing to the bloody mess all over the floor and walls. One of the little girls looked at it her face green and ashen.

"We should get them back to their rooms, several of them look ready to hurl and pass out. They need rest." White sighed running a hand through his short hair messing it up slightly. Two of the Familiar teachers stepped forward and got the children in lines to head back to their dorms.

"Sir." A young teen entered the gym holding a sheet of paper. "You received a call from Terminal City. Max said it's urgent."

Karl's eyes narrowed as White whipped out his cell phone and dialed what was now an all too familiar number for them. "Speak." He barked into the phone. With each word the leader of the freaks spoke the darker White's gaze got. "Fine." He snapped before he flipped his phone closed.

"What is it?" The telepath asked crossing his arms over his large chest.

"It seems all of us have been duped."

"How so?" Karl asked his gaze darkening at the thought of the freaks betraying them.

"Max pointed out something very interesting. Like how four superior beings were bested by four humans and the impossibility of that. There is no way two members of the Conclave could be taken out by humans and you know it, yet none of us even thought of that. Or how the school was attacked no human could pull that off."

"What are you getting at?" Karl asked.

"They think Psy Opps freaks are behind these attacks. The more I think about it the more it actually makes sense." White growled pacing the clean patch of floor he was standing on.

"So it is the freaks." Karl growled cracking his fist wanting more than anything to race back to Terminal City to show those freaks who was boss.

"Yes and no. They are transgenic but they do not get along with the majority of the population, none of the ones with these abilities checked into Terminal City according to Max and they are not in my files so either they were killed in the fire or they are out there running around causing hell and we are willing to bet that it is the last one." White said.

"How come we never saw this before? Why didn't we think of this possibility?" Karl asked.

"That is their power. The freak named Hawk apparently broke out from the mind crap first and then set the others off. None of them know what triggered her memory but they are working on it. They are meeting with the Psy Opps teams who have checked in and are going over ways to stop a mental attack and ways to work around it in the future." White said.

"Come on we need to go and tell Mandy this. She is not going to be happy that she missed something like this." Karl said and he was right. As the two told her and the others in the room what they had learned her pale face grew even redder.

"How the hell did this happen to us?" She growled.

"What do you mean?" Thula asked for once she did not have a biting comment for her sister.

"I mean all of us are supposed to have almost impenetrable minds it would take a lot of work for one of theirs to get in our heads." Mandy said brushing a purple red strand of hair out of her face.

"This poses a whole new problem for us." White sighed.


	16. Killer Instinct

Part 16: Killer Instinct

Scar glanced around the corner pressing himself tightly against the gray wall not even breathing. It was an empty hall. He raised a fist and made a zero before motioning for the team to follow his lead. Their steps were soundless as they scanned the hall, making sure one of their men was watching their back the whole time. As they came to the end of the hall Scar held up his hand for the unit to stop and he listened. He could hear it quite clearly now, the gentle thumping of four heart beats and from the tone and strength all four were males.

Using his hands Scar relayed the information to the team and then told them the plan. When the others signaled that they understood they made their move. When he felt the small girl move into her position next to him he made the move. His giant foot flew up and slammed into the metal door ripping it off its frame cracking the wall around it as the humans scrambled from their chairs in a blind panic reaching for their guns.

The X5 female blurred forward and snatched up the gun of the man closet to her and slapped him across the head with it before moving along to the next while another X5 male went to work on the other one. They made sure to leave one conscious.

"What the hell." The man gasped as the girl picked up his rifle and motioned for Scar to make his grab.

"Walk with us we have something we need to discuss." He growled grabbing the thick man by his chubby neck hauling him out of the ruined doorway and out back towards the gray unmarked van. As the unit moved away the sound of three shots ringing out made the human jump.

"What the hell was that?" He asked terrified as the men dragged him out of the building.

"Cleanup." Scar growled as the female rejoined them and hoped in the van.

"Who are you people?" He asked.

Scar gave him an odd look. "You have been after us for weeks now and yet you cannot recognize us when we are right in front of you?" He asked.

"Freaks!" He shouted.

"Wow someone is slow." A male in the van laughed setting off the others.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked his face turning red.

"To our leader." The female said.

Terminal City

The gray van rolled up the ramp bouncing quietly into the dark pits of the city. The man whimpered when the van went dark and the eyes of several occupants started to glow. The van came to a slow halt and the back double doors flew open.

"You got him?" Ames White's gravelly voice asked.

"Did you take care of the others?" Alec asked as Scar lifted the human out of the van.

"Great we just added kidnapping to our ever growing list of felonies." Dalton said grinning.

"Well if the enemy is willing to go to extreme measures you must as well." White said.

"Let's get him in the tank." Alec said.

"The what?" The human man asked hysterically trying to kick his legs out to prevent Scar from moving him but the genetically engineered soldier had the upper hand and he was forced to move.

"See when we were at Manticore the human guards liked to put us in the tank, except at Manticore it actually was a tank. Here the tank is just a jail cell. We couldn't convince my mate to let us actually put you in a tank." Alec growled.

"That would have been funny. I recommend a cage." White said loud enough for the human to hear.

"I know I remember you putting Max and I in one."

"Well animals belong in cages." White said.

"We are not animals." Alec growled.

"Or freaks whatever you prefer. Back in the good old days all the freaks were put in cages, just keeping traditions alive."

"You do realize you are just as freaky as us." The female X5 said.

"Nope I have no animal in me." White said.

"Snake!" Max said coming into the garage with Hawk at her side. "You have snake in you; therefore you are just as much a freak as the rest of us. Welcome to the family."

"I don't wanna." White said.

"Well let me tell you a little story." Max said looping arms with Alec as she walked. "There once was this brilliant guy who belonged to a freaky cult and his name was, well let's just call him Sam." Max said.

"I know the story, hello father."

"My point exactly you are practically our brother." Max said.

"Yuck."

The makeshift cell the transgenics created was in the basement of building D which used to be a school. The old jail was so run down that it needed major work before it was going to be operational and since they needed the human alive they had to make do with what they had.

"Well buddy welcome to the toxic city also known as Terminal City. A day here and you will begin to feel the effects of the radiation poisoning. Two days and your insides will begin to deteriorate. From there you will not recover." Max said.

"You have been found guilty of murder and since criminals need to be locked up that is exactly how you will stay." Alec said.

"We are looking for information, very valuable information that you have or at least you know of someone who does." White said grinning at the human. "And believe me you will be telling us what we want to know."

"I will never tell you anything." The man said.

"So you admit you do know something." Hawk giggled the sound unsettling in the dingy basement.

"No." He snapped.

"Will you tell us?" Max asked hoping to lure him into giving her the answer, something she found she could do to human males.

"I am not telling you a thing lady." He snapped.

"Now see that does not make us happy." White said, "We were really hoping we could do this the easy way but if you insist."

Karl and Mandy walked into the room Karl's eyes trained on the human. The bulging man grabbed his head in pain as he let out a pained scream as Karl went through his mind.

"What do you see?" Max asked.

"I see four people, two males and two females. They have barcodes. The group existed before the four made themselves known but when they joined in everything changed, they started to see results."

"Can you pick out faces?" Alec asked and Karl nodded.

"Good we have the files of those who are unaccounted for." White said leaving the room the Familiars followed with Hawk and Biggs.

"Take care of him." Max said motioning for Scar to get rid of the human.

"Standard procedure?" He asked and Alec nodded.

"What is that?" The man whimpered.

"This." A gunshot rang through the room and one heartbeat stopped after three more beats.

Max and Alec walked into the command center and went over to the row of computers Karl was sitting at. "No." He mumbled and a tech flipped the image. "No."

"Wait go back." Karl said his eyes running over the image. "This is one of them." He said pointing to the image of a blonde girl with hopelessly empty eyes.

"Well this is bad." White said.

"What?" Alec asked.

"According to her file she was set for execution when Manticore burned down. It seems her and four others went on a mini killing spree."

"How the hell is that possible? Besides we never heard anything about that." Max said.

"That is because Manticore had it hushed up. All who were involved were given extra sessions with the mind people." White said.

"Get a psy opps unit down her now." Max ordered Dalton who scrambled to do her bidding. "Keep looking for the others."

"You said four others, but there are only four involved in this." Alec said and White nodded.

"Their CO was the first killed. There would only be four left."

"Makes sense when you think about it." Mandy said.

"What?" Biggs asked.

"Well if someone killed the person you thought of as family like say, Alec. You would do anything you possibly could to avenge him right?" Mandy asked and Biggs nodded. "Well that is how they are thinking about this, Manticore took away their CO so they are probably looking to get back at Manticore. Manticore is gone though so they had to get creative and the next best thing is the Familiars who created the transgenics and then go after the transgenics who they have always felt were different. They would be seeking revenge."

"You know she does have a point." Max said.

"How are we going to fight them?" Alec asked.

"We might be able to help with that." A soft feminine voice said as Dalton brought in around ten transgenics. "We are psy opp group D. Specilization interrogation." She said her unit standing at attention.

"What?" Karl asked.

"They got people to talk." Max said looking at the girl, she remembered her. When she broke Zack out she remembered a girl just like her who was posing as Zack's sister to get information out of him.

"Who are these four?" White asked.

"They are unit C." She said.

"What is their specialty?" Mandy asked not liking their nervous looks.

"Reconditioning and re-indoctrination." She said staring fearfully at Alec.

"Wait you mean that those four…" Alec looked sick. "Those four were the ones who tortured the twins of the 09'ers."

"Among other things." She said.

"Even we are afraid of them." A male in her unit spoke up. "Manticore had a hard time controlling them." He said.

"They went on the killing spree because they had no one to work on, they were board." The unit leader said.

"So they just killed people." Max said looking appalled.

"Like we said, even we were afraid of them. Manticore had everyone's memories wiped by unit A. I think you had an encounter with one of them." The girl said pointing to Max and Alec.

"Mia." Max sighed and the girl nodded.

"You said you might be able to help fight against them." White said.

"Right, they are hard to go against because looking them in the eyes will land you in a pile of goo. The way to get around that is to blind them. Manticore used to use flash grenades."

"Well lucky for us we have a pile of those." Hawk said.

"Well that just takes care of part of the problem. They are still great fighters, which is how they were able to get at all of our people. Sure they stunned them with their abilities but even then our instinct to fight is still there. They are going to be raging and only someone from an alpha unit would be able to take them on."

"Thanks for your input; we will get back to you if we need more information." Max said dismissing the unit.

"Where do we go from here?" Mandy asked.

"Now we find the brats and blind them then kill them."

"Even if they are your kin?" White asked.

"Sometimes sacrifices are necessary especially when the kin is trying to kill you." Max said.

"Just checking." White said.

"I will tell the Conclave what is happening, when you decide you want to make a move we will be ready." Mandy said.


	17. Difference of Opinion

**Hey guys thanks for all of the reviews for this fic and for sticking with it for so long. Here is the last part at long last! Please let me know what you think!**

Part 17: Difference of Opinion

The teams were set and with the help of the human the transgenics of Terminal City knew exactly where the rogue Psy Opps unit was located. Even better they had a plan to take them out. It took no more than a day for the Familiars and transgenics to collaborate and form a plan that was solid.

Alec and Biggs would be heading the two teams of transgenics set to take out two of the Psy Opps members. White and Many would be heading the Familiar teams. The two teams were set to strike from different locations and using X6's they would cut off all escape routes.

Max and Hawk were heading up surveillance back at the city, as if they would trust the safety of their mates to anyone else, okay that was not entirely true they just wanted in on the action this was the only way Alec and Biggs would let them.

"Okay alpha team you are a go." Max said into the com knowing that only the team could hear the volume, they had to set it low so that the Psy Opps members would not hear them.

"Beta team take your position." Hawk instructed.

"Gamma team move in place." Dix instructed watching the monitor as the Familiars stealthily moved about in the dark of night.

"Delta team you are a go." Slade said. "Move in to the coordinates and wait for further instruction."

"Beta team move in." Hawk ordered and take the first right. There is a room at the end of the hall use it and take the air ducts."

The others moved their teams about like chess pieces commanding the players from behind the scenes watching the effects each of their moves made.

White moved silently down the hall gliding on the walls practically his team doing the same. It was times like this when it became apparent that they were less than human. He could hear a group of humans in the room at the right and motioned to his team to intercept. The person commanding him told him to take them out and he did so.

The humans were surprised to see them and moved to react when the rest of his team blew in and tore them to shreds. Thula silently collected the bodies and motioned to White that she was done.

Biggs lead his team through the air vents all of them crawling through the narrow space silently thanking Manticore for training them how to get through such small spaces. Biggs saw the exit grate and carefully unhooked it silently jumping down the chute waiting for the other six members of his team to come. They were in large numbers to make sure that if one was affected the others could still work.

He saw Alec and his team at the other end of the corridor and the two teams heading in the same direction. Alec motioned for Biggs to make him move and Biggs silently opened the door gun raised. He came face to face with a tall blonde girl with a glassy look in her eyes.

"We have been expecting you." She laughed.

"Took them long enough." A male barked his laugh making the half human beings cringe.

"Well you didn't exactly leave a trail of breadcrumbs." Alec growled.

"Yes we did." The girl snapped.

"The bodies don't count." Biggs said.

"It was rather unoriginal though I mean every other hate group has already done that to us." Alec said for some reason feeling the need to wound their pride. Well it didn't wound them so much as annoy them.

"Are you calling us unoriginal?" The girl challenged.

"Manticore made you that way. You aren't X series therefore you can't think for yourself. No original thoughts in that brain of yours." Biggs taunted.

The two boys winced when their mates berated them in their ears. "So you hate Manticore and decided to kill us, great thinking." Alec said, "But you forgot one thing."

"Oh and what's that?" The boy asked tilting his head to the side getting ready to use his power.

"We were trained by Manticore as well and guess what we have other Psy Opps teams at our disposal." Alec said.

The two looked confused for a second until the color drained from the girl's face. "Oh." She said looking around the room shaking her head. "Neat trick." She muttered giving Alec a bitter smile. "I never even sensed them."

The girl had snapped out of her fog only to see that there weren't fourteen transgenics in the room with her but ten, four of which were Psy Opps while the others had their guns trained on the hostiles. Alec nodded before he pulled the trigger followed by Biggs taking the two out.

"Smart of Max to think of using their own against them." Biggs said.

"I know, they were cocky enough to not even see the illusion around them."

Guns were firing on the opposite side of the base and screams sounded throughout the building. "Looks like White and Mandy took care of things." Biggs said.

"Come on let's go home." Alec sighed motioning for his team to grab the bodies. Even if they were the enemy they didn't leave soldiers behind.

Max ripped off her ear piece when she heard the vans roll inside the city and raced off towards the garage. She spotted Alec right away his scent washing over her in calming waves as she jumped at him easily landing in his strong embrace. "See Maxie safe and sound." He whispered as she nuzzled the side of his neck.

"I was so worried, we all were." She muttered not even caring that she was being mushy in front of so many people.

"Good fight 494. Thank you for taking care of our problem." White said as the Familiars stood in front of the transgenics the two sides facing each other.

"We worked well together." Max said and Mandy nodded.

"It was a pleasure working with you 452." Mandy said.

"But now we go back to being enemies." Biggs sighed and the Familiars nodded.

"We might be alike but our beliefs are too different for us to coexist harmoniously for an extended period of time." Karl said slinging his arm around Mandy.

"Fen'nos tol Max." Mandy said following the others leaving through the gates.

"Later." Max whispered.

"Another fight for another day." Hawk sighed.

"That is going to suck." Biggs groaned.

Max looked at the retreating backs of the Familiars a small smile appearing on her face. "We will worry about them when the time comes. They have other issues to work out first."


End file.
